


Life After They Left

by randiroo26



Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-27
Updated: 2020-02-22
Packaged: 2020-03-20 04:26:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 22,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18985249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/randiroo26/pseuds/randiroo26
Summary: A new Chief and Chieftess and a life without dragons - Berk has a lot to adjust to these days.  How does the Haddock family handle the change?  Bit by bit.  They never forget the life they had before; they just learn to celebrate their life now as their family grows.*Each chapter may not necessarily be in chronological order but are all connected in one timeline/universe, ages of characters at the time of each chapter will be at the top of the chapter for reference.*





	1. Surprise!

_Hiccup and Astrid: about 22 years old_

“So does everyone understand the roles they have been assigned?” Hiccup bellows. His voice doesn’t fill Meade Hall like his father’s would have, but it still holds a different kind of authority. And after some working and encouraging, I know Hiccup has come to accept that by now.

The group of Vikings before him only grumble in response.

Just as I’m about to swing my axe at the idiots and remind them of their place, my husband beats me to the punch. “Guys, come on,” he says. “We have to go back to some of the old ways, and we have to make do with where we are currently. Unless you would all prefer to move _again_.”

Suddenly the grumbles are much more affirmative, with varying degrees of “yes Chief,” “no no, this’ll do,” “no need for a rash decision,” and complaints that I choose to ignore.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” Hiccup mutters, though still loud enough for multiple people to hear. I chuckle. I see more and more of his father in him as the days pass. “Alright, we’re just about finished here, then. Council, any announcements?” Hiccup looks around at the group, but at first no one steps up. Per usual; if any of the council members, most of whom were the initial Dragon Riders, have anything to say they usually bring it up before the meeting so Hiccup and I are aware. He still asks at the end of every village meeting before wrapping up though, just in case. Which confuses me, because I thought he would want to break the news to his people; so why is he wrapping things up already? Maybe he’s just leaving it for me. We haven’t exactly done many things the traditional way, after all.

Well, I guess here goes nothing. I stand up swiftly and gaze over the group of confused Vikings before me, taking a deep breath. “We had planned to wait until the next moon’s meeting to bring this up, but some changes will be taking effect much sooner than that so I thought it best not to wait. For the members of the new armada, I will be working much more closely with Snotlout so he can learn the ropes. Eventually he will be taking over for me temporarily, but I want to start working with him early.” I look over at Snotlout, who is quite confused. “I’m sorry, Snotlout, I never got the chance to talk to you about it, but I’ll meet with you in the next few days.” He nods, still looking confused, but I’d explain everything later.

A low murmur buzzes along the Hall, which quickly gets on my nerves. “I know you’re all wondering why; I’m getting there. Hiccup and I are expecting our first baby, so the duties that can’t wait while I’m-” I hear a loud _thud_ to my left and a short scratching of wood against stone. An entire Hall of heads turn around to see Hiccup sitting in his Chieftain’s chair. No, wait, he had _fallen back into_ his Chieftain’s chair. He looks dazed and flushed, hand to his head as if he’s about to pass out. “Hiccup!”

Valka, Gobber, and I all immediately surround him. “Hiccup? Son, are you alright?” Valka asks, feeling his forehead. He doesn’t answer, just continues to look straight through us.

“Hiccup? Babe, what’s wrong?” I ask frantically, grabbing his shoulders. He stirs slightly at my voice and touch, which brings a small smile to my face. But then his eyes drift down my body and stall at my stomach, and he starts breathing heavier.

“Uh, lassie, you didn’t happen to clue Hiccup into the news before you told the whole village, did yeh?” Gobber asks, one eyebrow cocked as he takes in Hiccup’s reaction.

“Gobber, don’t be ridiculous, of course I told Hic-” Wait a second... I quickly think back over the last few days.

Oh, gods. Oh, Thor, _I never told Hiccup_. “Oh my gods, Hiccup. I’m so sorry, I-I’m pregnant,” I stutter. How did I forget to tell my husband we were expecting?!

Hiccup’s eyes slowly pull back up to my face. “Yeah-huh,” he says slowly. “Yeah, I-I think I uh, I think I got that part.”

We all watch him carefully, not making a sound. He keeps his eyes locked on mine. I can feel the sting of tears, the guilt of forgetting to tell him eating away at my stomach and my heart. I had been thinking of so many other things... And yet that’s no excuse, because he was the one person I was most excited to tell over the past 3 days since I knew.

He lifted his hand to cup my face, catching a tear that I didn’t notice had fallen with his thumb. The Hall of people around us fades away. “You’re really... You’re really pr... We’re having a ba...” he tries to say, not able to fully create the words, his expression remaining stoic. His eyes fall away from mine, but don’t seem to focus on anything else.

I hold his hand to my cheek. “We’re really having a baby, Hiccup.” I say, holding my breath.

He exhales, and then takes a deep breath. And then he exhales again.

“Hiccup?” I ask timidly.

His emerald green eyes find mine yet again. And he smiles.

I release the breath I was holding in a rush of air. He seems to do the same, almost laughing now. And before I know it, he pulls me down into his lap and wraps his arms around me, pressing his lips to mine. “I love you,” he says between tears and kisses. He secures his left arm firmly around me and combs his right hand through my hair. “Gods, I love you so much.”

I think the crowd around us begins cheering. I honestly can’t say. All I know is that I am so ready to have a family with this man holding me tight to his chest. And I know I couldn’t imagine a better father for my children.


	2. Nesting

_Hiccup and Astrid: around 23 years old_

Chief Hiccup sighed as he made his way up the path that lead to his hut.  It had been a long day consisting of dissolving disputes, overseeing the continued building of the Skydocks, and yet another council meeting to settle the final decisions behind the titles for each of the council members.  Hiccup had sent Astrid home halfway through the meeting, which she was not happy about. They had just finished discussing who would take over each of the new General’s duties now that her and the Chief were expecting. She fought back, but once the other council members agreed with Hiccup that she needed rest, she gave in.  Hiccup had left her with a kiss to her lips and growing belly before she reluctantly headed back to the hut.

“I promise I won’t be out much longer, alright?  I’ll be home with you in no time” he had promised.

She had sighed.  “No, it’s okay, I’ll find a way to entertain myself.  You do what you need to do. Take your time, Chief,” she had added with a small smile and a touch of her hand to his scruffy cheek.

Hiccup smiled now remembering the conversation, scratching and smoothing out his thin, growing beard where she had rested her hand against it earlier.  He and Astrid often used their new titles jokingly with each other but out of respect, both immensely proud of the other in all that they have accomplished since the Battle of the Bewilderbeast.  Gods, he missed Astrid. He picked up the pace, suddenly needing her in his arms. He expected his wife to be resting comfortably in her favorite chair next to the fire pit, attempting yet again to knit the same blanket for the new baby that she had been working on since her belly had begun to grow.  He would saunter in and scoop her up in his arms, plant a firm kiss on her lips and greet her with a casual, “Hello, milady.” She would giggle like a child and he’d sit with her in his lap. He would cuddle her close to his chest and rub gentle circles over their small baby as he chuckled at her continued attempts to knit and the frustrated crease in her brow.

He came back to reality as he walked up the steps to his hut, blushing red as he glanced back to the chuckling villagers.  Quite a few had caught the dorky smile that had overtaken his face at the fantasy in his head. He too shook his head and chuckled at himself as he gently pushed open the door, eyes immediately finding Astrid’s favorite chair.

It was empty.

Hiccup glanced around the hut, puzzled.  “Ast?” he called. Where was she?

He took a step further into the hut, but froze.  He heard footsteps above his head in the loft and followed them with his eyes as they made their way to the stairs.  Astrid appeared suddenly, flying down the stairs and scurrying around the hut’s interior. Hiccup raised his eyebrows, still frozen in place.  She didn’t seem to notice he was there.

“Hello, milady,” he said, sounded surprised.  Not quite the casual greeting he had planned.

“Hey, babe,” she said, surprising him further.  Maybe she did notice he was there. She continued to scurry around the hut, hands working in a flurry to clean anything and everything she could reach.

Hiccup relaxed his stance, considering following his wife around but quickly deciding it was pointless.  “You, uh… You wanna tell me what you’re doing?”

“Cleaning,” she replied shortly.

Hiccup nodded with pursed lips and raised eyebrows.  “I see that.”

She didn’t respond.

“You, uh…  You wanna tell me _why_?” he added.

“It’s filthy in here!”

Hiccup glanced around the hut.  It was? He knew they didn’t clean all the time like some of the other residents of New Berk, but he and Astrid also didn’t stay in their hut as much as others do.  Some days they came in long enough to sleep before returning to their duties in the morning.

He started to walk towards his wife now, slowly following so that she didn’t trip over him if she changed directions suddenly and glancing around the hut.  “Have you been doing this since you got home?”

“Mhm,” she replied absent-mindedly.

“Astrid, it looks fine, you really need to rest,” Hiccup insisted, reaching out his arm to grab her gently.  She twirled away from him, out of the small cooking space and into the sitting area near the fire pit.

Hiccup sighed and followed.  “Ast, you listening to me?”

She scrunched up her face in annoyance and waved her hand at Hiccup, focusing on smoothing out the already smooth furs on the furniture.

“Thor, help me,” Hiccup murmured under his breath, looking up to the roof.  He stepped around to the sitting area as well as she focused intently on the largest fur over the couch, leaned over to inspect every little crease and imperfection in her work.  Hiccup leaned over behind her, wrapping his arm around her waist and resting his hand on her belly. He kissed her shoulder gently. “Come on, babe, you need to sit down. Everything looks great, don’t you want to-  And, she’s gone,” he added as Astrid slipped out of his embrace and left him frozen in place hugging air. He fisted his now empty hand before letting it drop to his side and straightened up with a sigh. This wasn’t going well for him.

Suddenly, Astrid gasped and straightened up as well, hands flying to her belly, eyes wide and staring straight ahead.  Hiccup froze now too, his heart pounding out of his chest, arms slightly outstretched in her direction. “Astrid?! What’s wrong?!”

She spins around, hands grasping at air and looking around frantically.  “Weapons! We need so many weapons! In our room, by the door, in the kitchen…  Where’s my axe, Hiccup?”

Hiccup’s shoulders relaxed, but the rest of his body remained still.  “Ah… What?”

“My axe!  Hiccup, where is my axe?!”

Hiccup closed his eyes and lowered his face while shaking his head, hands fisting and first fingers pointed to the air, weight shifting to his only good leg, but otherwise still did not move.  “Wait wait wait wait, did you say we need weapons? Why would we need- Ah, oh! Ow! Why?!” Now he broke out of his shock, responding to his wife punching him in the shoulder, rubbing the sore spot and shying just slightly away from her like the first time she punched him like that.  He hadn’t even noticed she charged at him.

“Where.  Is. My. Axe,” she threatened, sounding out each syllable carefully and pointedly.

Hiccup continued to rub his arm, beginning to pull off his armor and wondering how she managed to hit the one break in the armor around his arms.  “I hid all the weapons so that you wouldn’t trip or hurt yourself on them. And so they would already be out of the way once the baby is here.”

The room was suddenly uncomfortably quiet.  Hiccup looked up slowly into the fuming eyes of his pregnant wife.

“You.  Did. WHAT.”

Hiccups arms dropped to his side as his eyes went wide and his lips pursed.  He felt his hands fisting and unfisting nervously but he couldn’t stop them. “Ah…  I hid them?”

“What if we’re attacked?!” Astrid exploded.

“By who?!” Hiccups asked bewildered.

“ANYBODY!”

Hiccup just blinked at her.  And then he couldn’t help it.  He broke down into laughter. He braced for a punch to the arm again, silently wishing he hadn’t neatly set his armor down on the table beside him, but the punch never came.

Astrid relaxed and exhaled with an exasperated sigh.  “Wha…?”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”  Hiccup apologized, lauding between phrases.  “I’m sorry! I just… Gods, you’re adorable! Weapons!  She wants so many weapons! You’re so perfect!”

Astrid’s eyes start to fill with tears, angering her more.  Why was she about to cry right now? And _why was her husband laughing at her?_

Hiccup saw the tears come to her eyes.  “Oh! Oh, Astrid, no! No, it’s okay!” He said, still chuckling between phrases.  “Come here, you beautiful viking.” He wrapped her up in his arms and pulled her close to his chest, kissing her hair and gently rocking her.  “You don’t need weapons, okay? I’m here. I’ll always protect you. Always.”

Astrid smiled and released the breath she was holding in the attempt to keep from crying.  “I know.” She relaxed into him fully, enjoying the scent of his skin and the warmth of his embrace.

“Now, can we stop cleaning, maybe?  And relax by the fire?”

“Can we sit in my favorite chair?” Astrid asked quietly, clinging to Hiccup’s chest.

Hiccup smiled, remembering his earlier fantasy.  “Anything for you, milady.”


	3. My Little Warrior: Part 1

_Hiccup and Astrid: around 26 years old; Zephyr: 3 years old_

The day had started bright and sunny, which Astrid had gladly taken as an opportunity for some vigorous drilling of New Berk’s small armada (if it could even be called that, but it was steadily growing).  Hiccup left a little later that day, spending some time with their small daughter before taking her to Valka’s. Or at least, that was the plan.

“Alright, little one, time to go to Grandma’s,” Hiccup announced, cleaning up his bowl of porridge from breakfast.

Zephyr froze, spoon halfway to her mouth, before slowly returning the spoon to her bowl and glancing sheepishly down at the table.

Hiccup turned around at his daughter’s silence.  “What’s wrong, Zephyr?”

The small three-year-old started to swing her legs nervously, hugging her arms tightly around her body.  Hiccup furrowed his brows. He walked over and knelt down next to her, resting his elbow on the back of the chair he had built just for her and running a finger soothingly over her upper arm.  He didn’t speak, waiting patiently for her to take the next move.

She continued to look at the table, swinging her legs.  After a few moments, she spoke just barely above a whisper.  “I don’t wanna, Daddy.”

Hiccup chuckled quietly.  “You don’t want to go have fun with Grandma?  You love going to Grandma’s!” he quietly encouraged.  But inside, Hiccup’s heart squeezed, nerves tightening around his gut.  This was unusual for his little girl, and it worried him. What had her so spooked?

“I...” she started quietly.  Hiccup’s brows stitched together again.  He stood and gently lifted his daughter into his arms.  She didn’t fight; rather, she immediately nestled her head against his neck, popping her thumb into her mouth.  He kissed her hair and rubbed her back before catching the swift motion of her hand. Chuckling to himself, he gently pulled her thumb from her lips, letting her instead play with his fingers.  He’d have to remember to let Astrid know he caught her sucking her thumb again; they’d been trying to break that habit for a year now.

“Can’t I stay with Dadda?”

Hiccup all but froze, leaning his back against the taller preparation table in the cooking space.  Dadda? It’d been a while since he heard that from her. Zephyr’s attention never strayed from his fingers, playing with the leather of his hand guards and the loop around his middle finger.

“With me?  For all the boring stuff?  Now, that doesn’t sound very fun, does it?” he tried half-heartedly.

Zephyr still didn’t look up, far too intrigued in his fingers.  “I just want Dadda.”

Hiccup’s heart broke.  How could he deny his baby girl what she wanted?  Just look at her! She was too precious, and Hiccup just wanted to see her smile at least once this morning...  He took a deep breath. “If I bring you with me, you have to be on your best behavior, Zeph,” he ordered, though his voice gave away his excitement.  He didn’t want to leave her behind any more than she did. Especially when she seemed so nervous about something. She was typically quiet and shy, but this was especially odd behavior...

Zephyr’s eyes went wide, slowly looking up into her father’s stern eyes.  Well, almost stern.

“Daddy’s got a lot of work to do today, so you have to keep quiet and do exactly as I say, alright?”  Any authoritative edge Hiccup had in his voice was lost as soon as he watched those little eyelids flutter wide again.  Her smile overtook her cheeks and touched her eyes effortlessly; exactly what Hiccup had missed this morning. So he couldn’t help it.  His face mirrored her’s instantly as she fervently nodded her head, agreeing to all terms.

Well, Hiccup _did_ plan for her to be Chief one day.

* * *

 “I didn’t _ask_ who had _more_ yak milk, Garvin, I asked where _you_ got _yours_.”

Hiccup was growing tired of these ridiculous disputes.  Though he was thankful for them to come today; Zephyr didn’t need to see the truly ugly sides of chiefing yet.  Lunch was growing near, and to Hiccup’s surprise, Zephyr was still quietly watching on. In fact, she had only grown more confident throughout the day, turning from Hiccup’s quiet and shy little girl into his right-hand man.  Instead of sitting on Hiccup’s hip, head nestled into his neck and thumb attempting to sneak between her lips yet again, she was now perched on his shoulder, proudly looking on to the two Viking men before her and her father.

“I don’t see why it matters where I got the yak milk!” Garvin shot back defensively.

“Wha-?  I-it matters a lot if you _stole_ it from Agnar!” Hiccup said, exasperated he even had to spell it out.  He heard a small huff from above his head and looked up to see his daughter crossing her arms and pouting her lip while staring down Garvin.  “Look, even my daughter is suspicious of you. She’s _three_.  She’s not suspicious of anybody!”

Agnar laughed and crossed his arms, seeing his victory near.  Garvin seemed out of excuses, which Hiccup took as admittance of defeat.

“Just return the yak milk, Garvin.  You two are grown men, I shouldn’t have to babysit you guys, too,” Hiccup added, obviously annoyed with how long it took to reach a conclusion.  Zephyr giggled from his shoulder, catching the attention of all three men. Hiccup pursed his lips and raised his eyebrows at the men, pointing to his daughter with the hand that wasn’t holding her up on his shoulder and then shrugging his empty shoulder.  Garvin rolled his eyes and turned to walk away; Agnar saluted to Hiccup with a chuckle and thanked him as he followed Garvin.

Hiccup lifted Zephyr off his left shoulder and set her on his right hip.  “I should bring you along more often,” he said to her with a smile, earning another giggle that made Hiccup’s heart soar.  He looked up to see the sun high in the sky. “Why don’t we go meet Momma for some lunch? How’s that sound, little one?” he asked with a kiss to her small nose.

Zephyr smiled sweetly and nodded.  “We get to see Momma?!”

“Yeah!  We get to see Momma!” Hiccup repeated.  Maybe he really _did_ need to bring Zephyr along more often; he’d never been in such high spirits at this point in the day.

* * *

 The first thing Astrid noticed as she walked up to the Meade Hall was the clear sky - or at least, it _used_ to be clear.  It was now filled with white fluffy clouds, completely concealing the sun.  That’s odd. It had been clear still when they left the arena.

Astrid watched her men stumble into the Meade Hall for lunch.  Sure, she may have gone a little rough on them, but they needed it.  Until their numbers grew again, they had to rely on strength. But as she walked further into the firelit room, she realized everyone’s attention seemed to be trailed to one table in the center of the room, where the council members typically sat.  This wasn’t particularly unusual, just odd that everyone seemed to be giggling every time they snuck another glance.

At the sight of shaggy auburn hair and leather suit, Astrid smiled.  After a rough morning, she was ready to spend some time with her husband before getting back to training.  She watched his every move as she crossed the floor. His head tilted back with a laugh, and Astrid’s heart skipped a beat.  In fact, Astrid was so focused on Hiccup that she didn’t realize everyone at the table was focused on something in Hiccup’s lap.

Hiccup leaned over to take a bite of stew, arm secured around a small, squirming body topped with fiery red hair sitting on his lap.  The small girl smiled and reached up, trying to grab her father’s cheek, making the man chuckle into a spoonful of stew. The table erupted into laughter as he set down his spoon and wiped the broth from his face, still smiling.  Astrid giggled now too, and the little girl’s head spun around at the sound.

Her face lit up even brighter than before.  “Momma!”

“Zephyr!” Astrid cried happily, snatching up her little girl from underneath her outstretched arms.  She pressed a big kiss to her daughter’s cheek as Zephyr giggled uncontrollably before setting Zephyr on her hip.  “What are you doing here with Daddy?” Astrid asked, more to Hiccup than to Zephyr.

Hiccup’s cheeks turned red and he offered a shy smile, making Astrid chuckle.  “Daddy let me stay with him today!” Zephyr cried happily.

“Did he, now?” Astrid said through an easy smile, leaning over to give her husband a kiss before sitting on the bench next to him.  She set Zephyr on her lap, pulling pieces off of a roll for her to eat. “Any particular reason she didn’t go to Grandma’s, Daddy?” she asked Hiccup.

Hiccup shrugged, obviously not sorry.  “She seemed off this morning. I couldn’t just leave her.”

Astrid raised an eyebrow but kept the smile, obviously more amused than annoyed.  If she was being honest, spending lunch with her husband _and_ her daughter was just going to put her in even better spirits before another grueling afternoon.  But she was still going to give Hiccup a hard time about it. “Well, she seems fine now.”

Hiccup squirmed under her stare.  “She said she just wanted Dadda! I couldn’t just _deny_ her that!”

Zephyr exploded with a short laugh and looked up at her parents with a big, open smile; the rest of the table joined her laughter once again, and Hiccup leaned over to kiss her forehead.  “You’re gonna get my in trouble one of these days, you know that?” he said quietly to her, still unable to wipe the smile off his face.

Snotlout took Zephyr long enough for Hiccup and Astrid to finish eating.  Zephyr seemed well occupied, so Astrid stood and tapped Hiccup on the shoulder.  “Zephyr, Momma and Daddy will be right back, okay? Can you stay with Uncle Snotlout for a minute?”

Zephyr nodded, but her giggly attitude had dissolved into shyness.  Snotlout rubbed her back and held her close, but Astrid suddenly felt bad leaving, even if only for a moment.

Hiccup stood and turned to follow Astrid, throwing a smile in Zephyr’s direction.  “It’s okay, baby girl, we’ll be right back.” He knew she’d be okay with Snotlout because she seemed to have a special connection with him ever since she was born (none of which Hiccup ever expected to say).

Astrid laced her fingers into Hiccup’s as they started walking towards the large wooden doors of Meade Hall.  “So, what happened after I left this morning?”

Hiccup shrugged.  “I don’t know, to be honest.  Zeph was fine, and then I told her it was time to go to Grandma’s and she just...  Froze up. She didn’t fight it, but she was about to cry saying she wanted to stay with me.”  Astrid caught the movement of his brow stitching together. Gods, he was so protective of her.  It was so adorable. “I promise, I wouldn’t have brought her if I knew I was doing anything that could put her in danger.  All she’s seen is a few disagreements, they all stayed very civ-”

“Hiccup, stop, I’m not upset,” Astrid interrupted with a soft smile.  “I was just wondering what had _her_ so upset.”

“Oh.”  Hiccup paused with his hand on the door, glancing back at Astrid with a shake of his head.  “I don’t know, Ast. But she was seriously spooked. I just didn’t feel right leaving her behind.”

“I’m not surprised,” she joked as Hiccup opened the door.  “You always have given into her without a fight, you softie.”

“What can I say?  The only one who can melt my heart faster than her is you.”  Hiccup and Astrid chuckled as they stepped outside for a moment, planning to check the wood stores around the back of the hall as they always did at lunch.  But they stopped as soon as they stepped out onto the stone steps.

The sky was much darker now, and the wind had obviously picked up.  The village square had gone from a bustling gathering of Vikings enjoying the warmth of the sun to a deserted stretch of stone pathways, an entirely new kind of bustling beginning behind the scene.  Astrid and Hiccup shared a worried glance. That explained Zephyr’s nerves today.


	4. My Little Warrior: Part 2

_Hiccup and Astrid: around 26 years old; Zephyr: 3 years old_

“Hiccup, Eret needs my help securing the ships in the Skydocks.”  Astrid and Hiccup turned to Snotlout approaching them from inside Meade Hall.  Zephyr had her head nestled into his neck and her thumb in her mouth again, playing with the threads in his shirt.  When they reached the doorway, Zephyr saw the dark clouds and felt the ever strengthening wind. Her eyes grew wide and she buried her face into Snotlout’s shoulder, locking a deathgrip around his neck.  “Hey, Zephie,” he said, hugging her tight. “Hey, it’s alright, kiddo, it’s just clouds.”

“Take her home,” Astrid said, laying a hand on Hiccup’s shoulder.  “I’ll take the men and lead the preparation effort. I’ve trained them for this kind of stuff.”  She kissed Hiccup’s cheek and then kissed Zephyr’s head, still nestled into Snotlout’s neck.

“Hey!  Where’s my kiss?” Snotlout asked, holding out his free arm in a questioning gesture.

Astrid scrunched her nose in disgust before turning to run down the stone stairs.  Hiccup grabbed her wrist as she ran past. “Wait wait wait, you take Zephyr home. It’s too dangerous for you to be out here,” Hiccup insisted.

“Says the one with the metal leg,” she shot back, crossing her arms over her chest.

Hiccup looked down.  “Damn prosthetic,” he murmured.

“I can handle it, babe.  I was Storm Warden on Dragon’s Edge, remember?” Astrid reassured with a smile before bolting down the stairs as the rain started to fall.

“Yeah, and you ended up temporarily blind!” Hiccup shouted after her.  He sighed and shook his head. What was he going to do with her?

Suddenly, a loud crash rolled through the sky, causing all three Vikings to crouch in surprise.  Zephyr screamed, leading Snotlout to hug her tight and step back inside the Hall, trying to soothe her.  “I got you, Zephie, I got you. It’s okay, I’ll protect you.”

Astrid and Hiccup shared a look.  “Go! Hurry!” Hiccup yelled. Astrid nodded and ran off to gather her men.

Hiccup turned back around to Snotlout, still trying to comfort Zephyr.  “I know, it’s just a loud noise, Zephie! Noises can’t hurt you!” He tried to sound lighthearted, but he knew Zephyr was too scared.  She never did well with thunderstorms, and even Snotlout knew it.

“Come here, baby girl, let’s get you home.”  Hiccup reached out to pry Zephyr from Snotlout’s neck, but she flew into Hiccup’s arms the moment she saw them outstretched in her direction.  It didn’t take long at all before she was clinging to Hiccup for dear life. “Snotlout, go help Eret and then _take cover_.  We don’t know what this storm is going to be like.  Tell everyone else the same.”

“Sure thing, Chief,” he said.  He gave Zephyr a pat on the back before sprinting down the stairs towards the docks.

Lightning lit up the sky as more thunder crashed, echoing through the Hall in a deafening roar.  Zephyr screamed again, burrowing a hole in Hiccup’s collarbone. “I know, I know Zephyr, it’s okay.  Daddy’s got you. You know I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Zephyr peaked up with tear stained cheeks.  Hiccup smiled and kissed her forehead. He glanced around the Hall to direct anyone else that was still there, but the large room was empty.  For having that storm sneak up on New Berk like it did, everyone did react very quickly. Hiccup smiled to himself, quite proud of his tribe. Now he could focus on his baby girl, quivering with fear against his chest.

“I know, Zephyr, I know.  Let’s get home, alright?” Hiccup soothed, starting towards the door.

Zephyr gasped.  “No! No Daddy, please!”

“What, what?!  What’s wrong?!” he asked, stopping in his tracks.

“Don’t go out in the storm, Daddy!”

“Well how else are we getting home, sweetheart?” he said lightly with a smile.  Zephyr only shook more in his arms. He knew she didn’t like thunderstorms, but they had to get back so Hiccup could make sure the hut was secured...

Hiccup spotted a fur drape on a chair nearby.  That’ll work.

“Let’s fly, dragon rider!” Hiccup shouted with a smile, catching Zephyr off guard.  Her little eyebrows stitched together in confusion as she looked up at her father. She yelped in surprise as her father grabbed the furs and threw it over her head, wrapping her up in his arms and the furs and clutching her to his chest.  Before she could process what was happening, Hiccup bolted out into the storm, paying close attention to his footing so his prosthetic didn’t slip on the wet rocks. He could feel small hands fisting around the cloth of his suit at his neck.  He made _whooshing_ noises with his mouth whenever he changed directions, moving his upper body to smooth out the motions and make Zephyr feel as if she were flying.  Thunder crashed overhead, and he felt Zephyr flinch. “Woah! Isn’t that the coolest dragon roar?!” he cried, trying his best to distract her.

Hiccup threw open the door to their hut, pushing it shut behind them as he stumbled inside.  He threw the fur drape to the floor and set Zephyr on the couch, kneeling down in front of her.  “What a flight!” he said, panting and flashing his biggest smile. Rain water dripped down his soaked hair into his face.  “What a rush!”

Zephyr’s face puckered ever so slightly as tears rolled down her flushed cheeks.

“Oh...  Oh, Zeph, it’s okay,” Hiccup cooed, scooping her up into a ball and pulling her into his lap on the floor.  “I’m sorry, sweetheart, but we had to get home.” He swiped away a few tears with his fingertip.

She simply nodded into his chest, otherwise not acknowledging he spoke.

Hiccup sighed.  “Come on,” he said, though it came out strained as he brought himself to his feet with Zephyr still tucked in his arms.  He rocked her gently as he rounded the hut, checking for any leaks or damage or spots he needed to patch before the storm grew any worse.  She sniffled occasionally, but was slowly calming down. When Hiccup was satisfied their home would hold, he knelt in front of the fire pit, repositioning Zephyr into his right arm and arranging wood with his left hand.

“I just wanna be brave.”

Hiccup stopped for a moment.  “What was that, sweetheart?”

Zephyr looked at Hiccup’s chest, but didn’t speak.  Maybe he was hearing things? He turned to reach for the sparking rocks.

“I wanna be brave like Momma and Daddy.”

Hiccup sat Zephyr on top of his knee and reached around either side of her, holding out the sparking rocks.  She set her hands on his arms, familiar with this motion. “But you are brave, Zeph.” He struck the rocks together until sparks ignited the kindling under the wood.  As the flames steadily grew over the carefully placed logs, he kissed her fiery red hair. Lightening washed the room in sudden brightness, quickly accompanied by another roar of thunder.  Hiccup was suddenly aware of how loud the rain sounded above their heads and against the front door. Apparently Zephyr was, too.

“But I’m scared, Daddy.”  She stared intently at the door as if waiting for the storm to break it down and snatch her away.

He creased his brow.  Lifting Zephyr off his knee, he slid back onto the chair behind him.  As he turned her around to face him, her tiny hands fisted together and she held them against her lips.  He stood her on his knees so he could look her in the eyes.

“Warriors can be scared, too.  Just because someone is brave, doesn’t mean they don’t get scared.”

Zephyr looked towards the ground.  “Does Momma get scared?”

“Yes, she does,” Hiccup said quietly.  “She’s probably scared right now. Momma doesn’t like thunderstorms either.”

Zephyr seemed to consider this.  “Does Daddy get scared?”

“Of course,” he said.  Zephyr looked up, and Hiccup gave her a crooked smile.  “All the time. Sometimes at really silly stuff. Like when I can’t see you.  Or when Momma cooks.”

Zephyr giggled.  “I don’t like when Momma cooks.”

“No one does, sweetheart,” Hiccup said with a chuckle.  “During Snoggletog, your Momma makes this drink she calls Yaknog, and it scares the _whole village!”_

Zephyr laughed, but then turned somber again.  “So... So I can be scared sometimes too?”

“Of course you can, silly girl.  And even when you are,” Hiccup said, nuzzling his nose against his daugther’s, “you’ll still be my little warrior.”

The door swung open suddenly, revealing a drenched and panting Astrid.  Hiccup yelped and Zephyr screamed, startled by the sudden movement.

“Really?” Astrid asked, swinging the door shut behind her.  “Am I that scary?”

Hiccup chuckled and winked at his daughter.  “See?”

Zephyr giggled before reaching her arms out to Astrid.  “Momma!”

“Zephyr!” she said back, lifting her daughter up and kissing her cheek.  “You don’t want to hug me right now, sweetheart, Momma is all wet. We’ll cuddle after I change into some dry clothes, alright?”  She set Zephyr back down, who nodded as she tumbled back into Hiccup’s lap.

Hiccup caught her back with his hand and held her up in a sitting position on his lap.  “Momma, I’m Daddy’s warrior!” she said with a growl.

“Are you now?” she said with a smile, leaning over to give Hiccup a kiss.  “What exactly did you two do while I was gone?”

“Ah, nothing, just took a little flight,” Hiccup said with a wink to his daughter.  She covered her mouth and giggled behind her hands. Hiccup sat her down on the chair and grabbed the dry fur off the back of it, throwing it around Astrid’s dripping shoulders.  “You’re going to catch a sickness, milady. Did the men get everything battened down?”

“Yes they did,” she said, pulling the furs tight around her as Hiccup rubbed her arms to warm her.  “In record time, might I add.”

“Why am I not surprised,” he said with a chuckle.  He squeezed her shoulders and looked her in the eyes, suddenly serious.  “Are you okay?”

She smiled softly.  “Why wouldn’t I be?”  Hiccup only answered by lifting one hand to her cheek, rubbing her cheekbone with his thumb just below her eye.  But it was enough for her to understand. “No lightning strikes this time, Hiccup, I’m fine.” She chuckled and added, “you can stop worrying about me.”

“I’ll always worry about you,” he said with a smile, remembering the conversation from a lifetime ago.

“Daddy?  Is this one of those times that Momma scares you?” Zephyr asked, peaking over the back of the chair.

“That it is, my little warrior,” he replied, tossing her up in the air and bringing her back to his chest with a kiss to the cheek.  “You’re learning quick.”

“I’m gonna fight the bad guys with Momma and Daddy!  I’m a warrior!” Zephyr cried. Hiccup’s heart swelled.  He’d never seen his baby girl so confident.

“Well, it sounds like we have the makings for our own small armada now, don’t we?” Astrid said with a wide smile.

“Well she is quite the impressive warrior, but one soldier does not an armada make, milady,” Hiccup replied, making faces at his daughter.

“Maybe not, but the two we have can start us off at least, can’t it?”  Astrid leaned over and nuzzled her nose into Zephyr’s cheek, causing the small girl to cascade into giggles.

“Well, sure, I guess two would-” Hiccup froze.  Two? They had two? He spun around, spotting Astrid leaning against the preparation table, sipping water out of a cup with a smug grin. Hiccup’s face must have been priceless because Zephyr could not stop laughing at him.  “Are you...” he began, glancing at her stomach.

Astrid’s only response was to set down the water cup with another chuckle and ruffle Hiccup’s hair as she walked by on the way to their room to change out of her wet clothing.

The ruffling broke Hiccup out of his stunned silence. “You...  You’re _pregnant_ and I let you run around in a _thunderstorm?”_ he called after her.

“Metal leg!” she called back, still facing the hallway ahead and holding a finger in the air, disappearing around the corner.

“Wha-  Small baby trumps metal leg!   _Small baby trumps metal leg!”_

Zephyr continued to giggle at her parents’ interaction.  “Oh, you think it’s funny, huh?” Hiccup playfully threatened.  She just kept giggling, a sound that made Hiccup’s heart burst.  “Oh, so you _do_ think it’s funny?!  Oh, I’ll give you something to laugh about!” he cried, attacking her with tickles and kisses.  Hiccup had to hold back tears as he thought about the news his beautiful wife dropped on him and stared into the face of his incredible daughter, listening to the overjoyed laughter erupting from her small body.  Hiccup couldn’t imagine how he could be any happier or more full of love than he was in that moment.

Gods, and he had another baby coming.  Odin help him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments made by Hiccup and Astrid to points in the past related to Astrid's blindness and Hiccup's worrying about her are references to the Netflix owned series "Dragons: Race to the Edge," Season 4 Episode 11 entitled "Blindsided."


	5. Brothers

_Hiccup and Astrid: around 27 years old; Zephyr: 4 years old_

Daddy was nervous. Daddy was  _very_  nervous. Zephyr didn't completely understand why, but she knew. He wasn't pacing like Momma did when she was nervous. He was trying to be happy and play with Zephyr, but his hands were doing that thing Momma made fun of him for. He never stopped moving, and his arms and hands were flailing around constantly trying to find something to do. He kept looking at the stairs that led to Momma and Daddy's bedroom.

Zephyr knew enough to understand her little baby brother or sister was on the way. But everyone always said it would be a very happy day when the baby came. Today was not a very happy day in Zephyr's eyes. Momma had been very scared, and she told Daddy something was wrong. And before Zephyr knew it, Daddy was trying to distract Zephyr and Grandma was taking Momma upstairs. Daddy had sent someone for Aunt Ruffnut, but she wasn't here yet. So Daddy was sitting downstairs with Zephyr. Daddy was trying really hard to be strong and happy, but Zephyr still knew.

Zephyr was sitting on Daddy's lap, playing with her stuffed Night Fury that Daddy had given her for her name-day celebration. He looked back up the stairs again with his eyebrows pinched together. He tried to be sly, but Zephyr still saw it and she knew what it meant. She was a very fast learner; Daddy told her so a lot.

"Daddy, what's wrong with Momma?" she asked, focused on her Night Fury.

She felt him shift but kept her focus on her toy. "With Momma? Nothing's wrong, Zeph, she's okay."

"Daddy," she said, dropping her toy and looking up at him with a sigh, quite annoyed with her father. Hiccup chuckled internally at the sass that coated her tone; she may look like him, but that attitude was  _all_  Astrid. "I'm a big girl. How come Grandma took Momma upstairs? Momma looked scared..." Zephyr let the nervousness show in her eyes now, afraid that she was losing her mother.

Hiccup saw the sudden shift and held her close, kissing her hair. "Hey, little warrior, she's okay. Momma's going to be just fine. The baby just... Is coming a little early, that's all."

Zephyr's voice was small. "Is that bad?"

"Hopefully not," he muttered. Zephyr didn't like the sound of that.

She wanted to ask more, but then the front door swung open. "Alright Haddock, I'm here. What was so urgent?" Ruffnut said, sounding almost annoyed as she stood in the doorway with her hands on her hips.

Hiccup stood up immediately, carrying Zephyr with him over to Ruffnut. "Astrid."

Ruffnut's face softened, as did her tone. Her arms dropped to her side and she gave a short nod. "'Nuff said. Come here, Zephyr, Daddy's uh... Gotta go help your mom." She reached out her arms to Zephyr who hesitated, glancing up at her father.

He smiled down at her and kissed her forehead. "It's okay, stay with Aunt Ruff." Hiccup tried not to laugh at Ruffnut, who scrunched her nose at the word "aunt." He forgot the twins didn't like how "adult" the titles sounded. "Momma's going to be just fine. I'll come get you as soon as you can see her, okay?"

Zephyr still didn't like what was happening, but she nodded and leaned over into Aunt Ruffnut's arms. She lifted Zephyr out of Daddy's grasp and set her on her hip. Zephyr leaned her head on her aunt's shoulder and popped her thumb into her mouth. Daddy saw and gently pulled her hand down. "It's okay, little warrior," he said softly, nodding to Aunt Ruffnut before running up the stairs.

Aunt Ruffnut sat down on the couch with Zephyr in her lap. Zephyr played with her fingers nervously, sucking on her lower lip as she glanced around the room.

"Aw, you can put that thumb back in there, kid, I won't tell your dad," Aunt Ruff said. Zephyr gladly did so before leaning against Aunt Ruff's chest, curling herself into a ball. Aunt Ruff seemed to stiffen for a moment, but then wrapped her arms around Zephyr and relaxed.

The room was quiet for a while as Zephyr cuddled with her Aunt Ruffnut. Neither knew quite what to say, but Zephyr was glad she had someone to hold her. But eventually she had to ask. "Aunt Ruffie?"

"Yeah, kid?"

"Am I gonna lose my Momma?" The question was almost a squeak.

Ruffnut was caught off guard. Zephyr seemed genuinely scared, and she wasn't sure how to handle that. "Your mom? Astrid? Heck no! She's the strongest person I know!"

Zephyr was quiet for another moment, but her next question was almost whispered. "Am I gonna lose my baby brother or sister?"

Ruffnut bit her lip. That one wasn't so easy. "I hope not."

Zephyr sighed. "That's what Daddy said too."

Ruffnut felt bad. Should she have lied? Normally she had absolutely no qualms about lying to anyone, but Zephyr was different. She was too innocent, and even the Thorston twins had enough of a heart to realize that. "Hey, look, I'm sure he'll be okay. Or she."

Zephyr didn't seem very convinced, but Ruffnut didn't know what else to say, so she just sat in the quiet trying to comfort the small girl in her lap as best as she could.

Zephyr's mind was racing though, and she didn't like that. "Aunt Ruffie?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you like having a brother?"

Ruffnut chuckled. "Yeah, I do. I mean, he's a pain in my a- uh, butt, sometimes, but he's my brother. I'd do anything for him."

"Anything?" Zephyr asked.

" _Anything."_  Ruffnut said, sneaking a glance up the stairs. "Wanna know the craziest one?" she asked with a devious smile.

Zephyr nodded curiously.

"One time, Snotlout convinced Tuffnut that he was turning into a dragon after something bit him in the woods. So, I dragged Snotlout into the forest to got a bunch of dragons and sea slugs and all kinds of crazy stuff to bite him. Then I'd drag him back and compare the bite marks to Tuffnut's to figure out what bit him."

Zephyr giggled. "Really?"

"Really. Your dad was mad for a second there when I brought Snotlout back with the first round of bite samples, but when I explained what I was doing he just let me go. Best day of my life. He totally had it coming." Ruffnut chuckled, remembering the look on Snotlout's face.

"Does Uncle Tuffnut still think he's a dragon?" Zephyr asked, thoroughly entertained by the silliness of her uncle.

"Nah, we found the wolf that bit him." Ruffnut though back for a moment. "Then again, he was kind of convinced again when Hiccup gave him that flight suit..."

Zephyr giggled again. But then she heard her mother shout from upstairs. She sounded like she was in pain, and that scared Zephyr.

Ruffnut felt the little girl in her lap start to shake at Astrid's scream. Why did Hiccup have to call  _her_  of all people? Ruffnut was not exactly the comforting type!

But then she saw how her little hands gripped the black plush dragon until her knuckles went white. How the tears began to bead at the corners of her eyes as she stared at the staircase leading up to her parent's bedroom. How her small lip quivered and her breathing began to hitch when she inhaled.

"Hey... It's okay, that's pretty normal. I think," Ruffnut said. She hadn't had kids of her own yet (though Fishlegs seemed pretty determined to change that relatively soon) and she wasn't exactly someone who would jump at helping another woman through something like that.

"Really?" Zephyr asked, still looking at the stairs and clutching her toy.

"Yeah! Same thing probably happened when your mom had you!"

Zephyr's eyes grew even wider somehow. "I hurt Momma?!"

Whoops. "No! Well, I mean, I guess  _technically_ , but no!" This did not calm Zephyr whatsoever. Ruffnut sighed. She was unintentionally destroying this poor girl. She decided she would blame it on Hiccup. "It happens with everybody, not just your mom. It's just... How this stuff works, she knew that before she even knew you were coming. She wanted you anyway. She knows you didn't mean to hurt her."

Zephyr calmed down a little, but still cringed every time she heard Astrid cry out. Ruffnut prayed to the gods that they were almost done before she ruined the Chief's daughter any more than she already had.

After awhile more of silence between the two (Ruffnut decided it was probably best to keep her mouth shut), Zephyr leaned back against Ruffnut's chest. She popped her thumb back in her mouth and used her free hand to play with one of Ruffnut's braids hanging in front of her. Ruffnut wrapped her arms around Zephyr and gave her a little squeeze. Astrid's cries were growing more frequent, making Zephyr more and more uneasy. She was fidgety and jumpy, and Ruffnut couldn't figure out how to make her feel better. So she just tried to hold her tight, laying her head on top of Zephyr's when her neck got tired.

When Astrid's cries stopped suddenly, Zephyr's head whipped up so she could stare at the stairs. Ruffnut snapped her head up as well, startled by the sudden movement of her quasi-niece. "Woah, I'm up," Ruffnut said, blinking and trying to reorient herself to her surroundings. She found Zephyr looking up at her with her eyebrows pinched together.

"I don't hear Momma anymore," she whispered, eyes brimming with tears.

_Gods, I can't keep doing this,_  Ruffnut thought to herself. "Well, hey, that's good! Maybe that means it's all over!"

Zephyr's lips pursed in thought like her father's always did as she looked back to the stairs. It almost gave Ruffnut whiplash; the blue eyes were just about the only thing that reminded her she was Zephyr and not Hiccup.

"If it's all over... Does that mean Momma's okay?" she asked slowly.

"Well, yeah, sure. Astrid's totally fine. She's the strongest person I know, remember?"

The tears in Zephyr's eyes didn't disappear, but she looked back to Ruffnut. She careful stood up on the chair next to Ruffnut's legs with her thumb back in her mouth.

Ruffnut grabbed onto her little waist, not wanting to have to explain to Hiccup why his daughter fell off a chair on her watch (quite honestly terrified of how Daddy Hiccup would react). "What is it, Zephyr?" she asked the girl.

Zephyr didn't say a word; she simply laid her head on Ruffnut's shoulder, thumb still in her mouth, and wrapped her free arm around Ruffnut's neck. Ruffnut froze, surprised by the embrace, before slowly wrapping her arms around her. She tried rubbing Zephyr's back like she'd seen Astrid do hundreds of times, hoping it would make her feel better. "It's gonna be okay."

"Thanks Aunt Ruffie." Zephyr spoke around her thumb.

"For what?"

"For sitting with me."

"Oh, well... You know I'm always here for you, kid."

"Aunt Ruffie?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

Ruffnut's eyes widened just slightly as she hesitated out of surprise. Huh. Maybe she wasn't doing so bad after all. "I love you too, Zephyr," she said, giving the girl a small squeeze. She lifted Zephyr up and set her back down to straddle her aunt's lap, letting Zephyr face her still so she could lay her head on Ruffnut's chest. Zephyr settled easily against her aunt, who began to gently rock her side to side. Ruffnut wasn't sure why she did any of it, but it just sort of felt right. And as long as Zephyr wanted to stay there, Ruffnut would hold her tight and rock her if it meant she felt better.

Ruffnut and Zephyr froze as they heard slow footsteps down the stairs. Zephyr recognized the alternating pattern of boot and metal and knew it was her father. She didn't look up at him, but Ruffnut did. He looked exhausted despite Astrid's labor lasting less than a day. Which means he had been more worried and stressed than he let on. And he let on that he was incredibly worried and stress as it was. He sighed as his not-leg leg stepped on the floor, making Ruffnut second guess if everything was okay.

"Zephyr?" Hiccup said gently, kneeling next to her and Ruffnut. Zephyr's heart raced, worried about her mother. But Hiccup lifted her chin with his finger and asked, "Would you like to meet your baby brother?"

The smile that lit up Zephyr's face melted Hiccup's heart in an instant. She nodded shyly, reaching out to her father. "Come here, little warrior," he said softly, lifting her from Ruffnut's lap. He nodded to Ruffnut as he settled Zephyr against his chest, a silent thank you for giving his little girl company. She smiled back as Hiccup carried Zephyr up the stairs.

Eh. Maybe she could do the whole mom thing.

You know. If Fishlegs wants it so bad.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The story Ruffnut tells in relation to Snotlout and Tuffnut is reference to the Netflix owned series "Dragons: Race to the Edge," Season 2 Episode 4 "Bad Moon Rising."


	6. The Haddocks

_Hiccup and Astrid: around 27 years old; Zephyr: 4 years old; Nuffink: newborn_

Astrid was exhausted. Covered in sweat and still some blood, though Valka had cleaned most of it. Hair clinging to her neck with an uncomfortable wetness, eyes full of tears and begging to close for a few hours. And yet she had absolutely no desire to give in. She stared at the very small child in her arms, thanking the gods he was safe despite coming early into this world. And he was quite small; Astrid's heart all but caved in on itself when Valka laid the tiny babe on her chest. The fear in Astrid's eyes must've been obvious. Valka tried to reassure her, "It's not a death sentence, Astrid. Hiccup was just as small when he came into this world, and look where he is now. This little boy will be no different."

She heard Hiccup's breath catch, getting a good look at the boy over Astrid's shoulder, but she couldn't bring herself to look at him. All she could focus on was the rapid rise and fall of her son's chest, silently urging him to keep breathing. She hadn't realized she had been crying until Hiccup caught a tear off her cheek. He sat on the bed beside his wife, wishing she would slow her breathing, begging the take the pain in her eyes away.

Astrid felt her husband's arm wrap around her, eyes still secured on the tiny chest of her son. The extra body heat made Astrid uncomfortably warm again, but she didn't care. If Hiccup was still comforting her, maybe it meant he wasn't angry with her...

Hiccup kissed her hair, ignoring the wetness that met his lips, and gently squeezed her shoulders. "It's alright, we'll be okay," he whispered over her shoulder. He freed one arm and slowly reached out to their baby boy, lightly grazing the side of his finger against his pink cheeks. The boy's face scrunched in displeasure, mouth opening wide but no sound escaping. "We'll  _all_  be okay."

But Astrid still couldn't help worrying. She cradled the boy to her chest - gods, a boy, she had given her husband a son! Securing him easily in one arm, she grazed the dusting of blonde hair atop his head with her free hand. The boy recoiled at the touch for a moment, but quickly settled back against his mother's touch. She couldn't stop thinking back over Zephyr's birth, comparing in her mind how much smaller this boy currently in her arms was compared to her daughter.

She had tried so hard to keep her emotions together, but she couldn't hold on. She let a small sob escape her chest, praying Hiccup didn't notice.

But of course he did. He squeezed her shoulders and pulled her gently into his chest, being careful not to jostle her too much. "Hey... Astrid, what's wrong? Are you in pain?"

She pursed her lips, letting the tears fall. "I'm so sorry."

Her voice was so quiet Hiccup thought he misheard her. He paused for a moment before saying with a chuckle, "Astrid, I already got my baby girl. Why are you apologizing for giving me a boy? I thought that's what you were hoping for."

She shook her head slowly. "But... He's so small... I... I tried so hard to... To..."

Hiccup was quiet again, which Astrid took as confirmation that he was in fact upset with her.

"Astrid..." She braced herself for... Well, she wasn't sure what she was bracing for. She'd rarely seen Hiccup angry, and it had never been directed at her or their daughter. But whatever she was ready for, it never came. He held her tighter, speaking in breathless shock. "Ast... That's not your fault..."

The words only made her sob again. She endangered their son, she didn't want his sympathy! He  _deserved_  to be angry with her. But he wasn't, and it almost made  _her_  angry instead.

"Astrid, please, don't blame yourself for this," he softly begged. "These things... Th-they just happen, you can't control it. He's going to be okay."

"How do you know that?" Astrid replied shortly, though all force was lost as she spoke through tears.

"Because I did, just like my mom said." He reached around her back and then up to brush the stray hair from her forehead before resting a hand on the side of her head, pulling hers gently to rest against his own. His free arm wrapped around Astrid's arms, cradling them along with his son. "And besides, he's got something that I didn't have. He's half you." Astrid turned her head now, looking at her husband for the first time since her boy was laid on her chest. She lifted one corner of her mouth and craned her neck to kiss him. Hiccup happily obliged, meeting her halfway. "I'm going to get Zephyr, alright? She's been anxious about how you two are doing. Are you going to be okay for a minute?"

Astrid bit her lip and looked back at her son, watching the rise and fall of his chest again. She nodded slowly. "Just for a minute."

Hiccup hooked a finger under her chin to guide her face towards his. "No more blaming, alright?" he softly ordered.

She nodded. Hiccup smiled and brushed his lips against hers before lifting himself off the bed and disappearing down the stairs.

Astrid glanced around the room. Valka must have slipped out after Hiccup sat down with Astrid because the room was empty. But her glance snapped back down to her small son when a short whimper escaped his lips. "It's alright, it's okay little one. Momma's here," Astrid cooed. The baby in her arms calmed instantly, reaching his arms out towards the source of the voice. Astrid smiled and carefully lifted the babe so she could lean over and brush her lips against his forehead. She felt his small hands rubbing against her neck and chin, and pulled back to see yet again the face of displeasure he had when Hiccup brushed his cheek.

Astrid chuckled. "You'll have to get used to it, sweetheart. We're a cuddly family." Her smile slowly faded as she continued to look at her son, finding herself fixating on his size yet again. "I'm so sorry, baby boy," she whispered. "I promise, we're going to get through this. I'm not going to let anything happen to you. You're going to grow up to be a big, strong man just like your Daddy."

The babe yawned and continued reaching towards his mother's voice. Astrid smiled, focusing on the warmth emanating from his small body and the small sounds he made as he explored the new world around him in his own way.

She didn't look away until she heard a small gasp from the doorway. Her husband walked in slowly, holding their daughter in his arms and watching her reaction as she took in the sight of the small boy in her mother's arms. Astrid carefully slid over to make room for the rest of her family.

"Momma!" Zephyr said quietly.

"Zephyr!" Astrid replied with a smile. "Come here, sweetheart. Do you want to see your baby brother?"

Zephyr nodded, eyes wide and lips pursed in anticipation. Hiccup brought her to the bed and sat next to his wife, letting Zephyr climb across his lap and down onto the bed. She perched up on her knees so she could glance over her mother's arms to the babe now sleeping against Astrid's chest. "He's little, Momma," she said, voice dripping in awe.

"He is  _very_  little, so we have to be careful with him, okay?" Astrid said. She secured her son in one arm so she could wrap her daughter up in the other, kissing her hair. "What do you think, Zeph?"

Zephyr's eyes never left her little brother. She sniffled, causing Astrid and Hiccup to share a worried glance. "Zephyr? Sweetie, what's wrong?" Hiccup asked.

Zephyr sniffed again. "I love him so much," she said.

Astrid's eyes were filled with tears yet again, and she looked up at her husband to see his were brimming with tears as well. They smiled at each other, and neither had to speak for them to know they were so proud of each other for raising such a sweet little girl, and even more proud of their little girl herself.

Astrid kissed Zephyr's hair again. "I love him so much too, sweetheart. Just like I love you."

Zephyr beamed up at her mother. "I love you too, Momma." She looked down at her baby brother, taking in his small hands and little mouth and button nose. She began almost vibrating before she bolted up and hugged her mother's neck. "Thank you Momma, thank you so much!"

Astrid and Hiccup both reached out their hands to hold onto Zephyr, taken off guard by her sudden movement and not wanting her to hit the baby boy. But when her words reached their ears, they both simply smiled. Astrid hugged Zephyr back tightly, and Hiccup slid closer to wrap his two favorite girls and his brand new son in his arms.

The Haddocks didn't leave that embrace until the sun began to set that day. Each of them were overflowing with love, and none of them could think of a better way to express that intense joy than cuddling together until the exhaustion of the day overtook the four of them.

* * *

A small cry woke Zephyr, and she opened her eyes to find the room blanketed in orange from the setting sun. She looked up to find her mother and father sleeping on either side of her; Daddy's arm was reached over Zephyr's head and underneath Momma's neck. Momma had one hand resting on Daddy's arm next to her cheek. Zephyr smiled at the sight. She always loved seeing how much Momma and Daddy loved each other, knowing that not all the other mommies and daddies in the village loved each other like hers did.

Zephyr heard the small cry again, pulling her gaze away from her parents. Her baby brother was wiggling around in his cradle, wide awake again. Zephyr rubbed the sleep from her eyes and carefully crawled to the end of the bed and hopping down, not wanting to wake her parents. She padded over to the cradle (not necessarily in a straight line) and kneeled down on the floor. "'S okay, budder," she said, sleep heavily affecting her words. "I love you, 's okay."

She lazily leaned her head on the side of the cradle and reached her hand out to her baby brother. She tried to hold his hand but found his was much smaller than hers. She instead slipped her thumb under his fingers and loosely wrapped her fingers around his hand and wrist, figuring it was as close as she would get to holding his hand. The babe calmed eventually while his sister cooed comforting words, yawning occasionally between phrases. "I'm your big sisser. I dun wan 'nuffing to happen to you. 'Nuffink..." she said, the last word distorted even more through a big yawn.

Astrid opened her eyes to see Hiccup already awake on the bed next to her and her daughter no longer laying between them. But Hiccup was focused on something across the room, trying his best to keep very still; Astrid followed suit. That was when Astrid heard her daughter speaking to her son. The babe had calmed completely and Zephyr seemed to be asleep on the side of the cradle.

Hiccup smiled, trying to hold back a chuckle. When he was sure she was asleep, he looked down at his wife who was eyeing him curiously. "She dun' wan' 'nuffink to happen to him," he quietly repeated, letting the chuckle escape.

Astrid smacked his arm, but smiled at him, whispering, "Stop it, she's sleepy." She turned her head to sneak a peek at her children, her heart swelling when she found Zephyr's hand wrapped around her brother's, the boy's hand clutching her thumb, both children sound asleep. She turned back to Hiccup, who was lovingly watching his children as well. He looked back to Astrid with the dorkiest grin she'd ever seen on his face. Astrid's face fell just a little bit.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Hiccup asked, reaching out with his other hand to lift her chin.

Astrid looked away, sighing. "He looks like a little 'nuffink'" she said, tears in her eyes again.

Hiccup sighed too. "Ast, we talked about this. He'll be fine, just like I was."

"Yeah, but what if he turns out  _just like you did."_

Hiccup scoffed. "Oh, ouch, that was not cool. I thought you liked all this raw Viking-ness," he joked.

Astrid was completely serious, looking in his eyes now. "What if he turns out to be so much littler than everyone else and all the other kids make fun of him for it?"

Hiccup pursed his lips. He knew what she meant, but Hiccup was trying not to focus on that right now. Right now, he just wanted to worry about his son's health and wellbeing. He knew they'd cross that bridge when they got to it. So instead, he smiled and continued joking, trying to lift his wife's mood. "I mean, if we name him 'nuffink' then the kids can't call him that behind his back."

Astrid rolled her eyes. "I'm not naming my son 'Nothing'," she said, but the corner of her mouth twitched up.

"Excuse you, I didn't say 'Nothing', I said ' _Nuffink',"_  he replied, imitating the overly sleepy tone of his daughter. He nodded and gestured toward their sleeping children. "I think Zephyr agrees with me. It's a good name."

"It's a ridiculous name," Astrid said, fully smiling now.

"Yeah, because  _Hiccup_  is a glorious name," Hiccup said, rolling his eyes.

Astrid chuckled and shook her head. But Hiccup could see the glint of consideration in her eyes. He was only joking, but a part of him thought the name just...  _Fit._

He leaned over and kissed her forehead. "We have a few days still to think it over."

Astrid chuckled and rolled her eyes. "You mean  _fink_  it over."

Hiccup smiled that dorky smile that melted Astrid's heart every time, glad to hear her joking again. "That's my girl."


	7. Bedtime Stories

_Hiccup and Astrid: around 28 years old; Zephyr: 5 years old; Nuffink: 1 year old_

"One! Two! Three! Hoist, men!"

Loud grunts could be heard as the strongest of Berk's men pulled the ship full of fish back over land before resting it on the ground again. Some doubled over trying to catch their breath, others simply wiped the sweat from their brow and pushed to the next task. Hiccup put his hands on his hips and leaned his head back, breathing deep. A heavy hand landed on his shoulder.

"Go on back home, Chief. I'll lead the unloading from here," Eret said.

"Are you sure? I can stay and help."

"Nah, I can handle it. It's just fish," Eret insisted, catching a basket full of fish one of the shipmates threw down off the deck. "Take the little one home, I'm sure Astrid needs help with the sick babe anyway."

Hiccup nodded his head and left the men to unload, not needing any more convincing to return to his wife and small son. He had been sick and feverish for a week now, and being barely a year old Hiccup didn't like to be away long in case something worsened. He knew Astrid was worried, as was Hiccup, and though Valka insisted it was nothing to be worried about, they just accepted they wouldn't feel better until their son was feeling better too.

Hiccup turned and made his way back to the children playing further down from the Skydocks, searching for the "little one" Eret had mentioned.

"Zephyr! Come on, little one, time to go back home to Mommy and Baby Nuffink!"

His daughter was far too involved in a conversation with the other children to hear Hiccup's call. He walked closer, curious as to what was so important. As he closed the distance, he noticed the children were having quite the debate.

"It is true! Daddy told me so!" Zephyr said

"So?"

"So, my Daddy is the chief!" Zephyr crossed her arms and turned up her nose, as if to say "and that's that," at the little boy next to her. He didn't seem convinced.

"Hey now, who's talking about me?" Hiccup joked, standing behind his daughter with his hands on his hips and a smile on his face. "Zephyr, time to go home," he repeated.

She smiled and scrambled to her feet and stretched out her arms and she stumbled towards her father. "Daddy, will you please tell, um, tell Sten that, that, um, oh-" She stopped and pulled her hands back when she realized she was reaching for Hiccups prosthetic, eyes widening for a brief moment. Hiccup chuckled silently to himself, remembering the time two seasons ago when Zephyr had almost pinched her little fingers in the mechanisms of Hiccup's prosthetic leg. She hadn't been to fond of it ever since, and Hiccup still felt bad about almost hurting his little girl. But she composed herself just as quickly as she had been knocked off track, changing directions and wrapping her arms around his good leg instead. "-um, tell Sten that, that the dragons are real!"

Hiccup reached down to scoop Zephyr up into his arms, but paused. "Tell him what now?"

"Tell him about the dragons!" she said, bouncing in place. "Like my bedtime stories!"

"Oh, goodness, those were some good stories, weren't they?" Hiccup said, stalling. He knew Sten's parents, and they didn't talk about the comrades from the past. They had been some of the only few in Berk who never quite took to the creatures like the rest of the village did. They never fought against them, but they never had dragons of their own either, and much more preferred to do things the "traditional Viking" ways.

"Yeah, but they're just stories, right Chief Hiccup?" Sten asked, a little too confident in himself.

"Nuh-uh! Daddy, tell him!" Zephyr begged.

"Well..." Hiccup began, unsure where to go from there.

"Sten! Stop botherin' the Chief, and come help yur father!" a woman's voice called. Hiccup sighed to himself as Sten ran off, thankful to dodge that arrow. Well, today at least.

Hiccup leaned over to pick up Zephyr, but she pulled away from his hands, crossing her arms around her chest and hugging her elbows.

"Hey... What's the matter, my little warrior?" Hiccup asked gently, kneeling next to her.

"You didn't tell him," she said through her pout. "Why wouldn't you tell him, Daddy? Now he's gunna tell all the other kids that I make up stupid stories and lie! They're gunna make fun of me..." Hiccup saw tears forming in the corners of her eyes, and his heart shattered. He tried to think of a way to explain to his little girl why it just wasn't so simple in the grown-up's world, but she was far too young for that. A tear broke free from her bright blue eyes, and Hiccup couldn't take it.

He reached out his hand, letting his daughter decide when she was ready to let him comfort her. She looked sideways at it, trying to resist but also needing her father and the safety of his arms. She gave in quickly, unfolding her arms and laying a tiny hand in her father's outstretched one, admiring the similarities and differences in the two. Hiccup reached out and wiped a tear from her soft cheeks with his free hand. "Come here, little warrior. We have a stop to make before we go home." He lifted her up into his arms and set her on his hip, wiping away another tear before setting off.

Zephyr sniffled and rubbed her eyes with her knuckles. "Where we goin' Daddy?"

"We're going to go visit Grandpa," he said with a smile.

Zephyr simply rested her head on his shoulder and popped her thumb in her mouth in response. Usually Hiccup would be quick to correct this - at five years old, he knew she needed to leave that habit behind. But he would let it slide right now.

When they reached the statue of Stoick the Vast, Zephyr perked up and stared in wonder, as she always did when visiting her grandfather. But Hiccup had a more specific piece to show her today. "Zephyr, do you remember the first time I showed you this carving?" Hiccup pointed to one of the five carvings circling the base of the memorial.

Zephyr nodded. "Toothless."

"Right, Toothless. This carving represents the day he accepted me as his friend. Do you remember that story?"

Zephyr nodded.

"And what about this one?" Hiccup asked, moving down the timeline to point out a different carving.

"That's Grandpa and Skullcrusher," she said, eyes bright and twinkling.

"Very good, little warrior. And do remember the stories I told you about Grandpa and Skullcrusher?"

Zephyr nodded again, listening intently.

Hiccup carried Zephyr to a fallen tree nearby the statue, where he had sat with his daughter and wife many times while telling stories of Stoick the Vast. He sat down and set Zephyr on his lap. She waited patiently, familiar with this routine and awaiting her new story.

Hiccup took a deep breath. "You see, Zephyr, your Mommy and Grandpa and Grandma and I, we all had our own dragons. I had Toothless. Grandpa had Skullcrusher. Your mother had Stormfly, do you remember her stories about Stormfly?"

Zephyr nodded, watching her father carefully. "And Grandma had Cloudjumper! I already heard this one, Daddy!" she added with a small giggle.

"Yes, exactly, but I'm getting to the new part," Hiccup said with a chuckle. "Pretty much everyone in Berk had a dragon friend all their own. And everyone loved their dragons. They were our closest friends. The dragons were an important part of our family. But not everyone loved the dragons like we did."

Zephyr's eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. "Why, Daddy?"

"Well, some people didn't see the dragons as friends, darling. They wanted to use the dragons instead. They wanted to make the dragons do bad things to other people." Hiccup paused for a moment, feeling his throat tighten in sorrow. He looked up at his father's statue, remembering the day they lost him.

Zephyr followed her father's gaze slowly, connecting the dots in her head. "Is that why Grandpa died?" she asked carefully, quietly.

Hiccup closed his eyes and chuckled, ruffling her hair. "You're very smart, you know that? Yes, little one, that's why we lost Grandpa."

Zephyr looked at the ground, confused. "What happened, Daddy?"

Hiccup pursed his lips, watching Zephyr's eyes carefully. He wanted to tell her. He wanted her to understand. He just didn't want to hurt her, and she was still so young.

Zephyr reached up and caught a tear with her palm before it disappeared into Hiccup's beard. "It's okay, Daddy," she said. "I know all the stories can't be happy. I wanna know."

Hiccup smiled and kissed her forehead. These are the times Astrid jokes that she sees too much Hiccup in her. How was she only five years old? "Okay, but if you want me to stop you need to tell me, alright?"

"I promise, Daddy."

He nodded and took a deep breath, preparing himself to relive that awful moment. "There was a very evil man who wanted to control all the dragons in the world. He got a very special, very powerful dragon that had the power to control the minds of other dragons," he said, tapping her forehead. Zephyr was entirely enveloped in the story. "He brought this dragon to an island where your grandmother had hidden away and cared for all kinds of sick dragons. I was there with her. It was the first time I saw your grandma in a very, very long time. Your grandfather followed me, thinking I was in trouble. Your mother, along with all of your aunts and uncles, followed your grandfather to help, so they were there too."

"With all their dragons?" she interrupted, stringing the pieces together.

Hiccup nodded solemnly. "With all their dragons. And that evil man told the big Bewilderbeast dragon to take all of our dragons too, and so it did. Including Toothless." Hiccup paused, taking a deep breath. "I was not being very smart, and I didn't listen to your grandfather. I tried to talk to the evil man and reason with him, even though Grandpa said it wasn't worth it. To prove his point, the evil man made Toothless try to kill me."

Zephyr gasped quietly. "Daddy... Did Grandpa save you?"

Hiccup nodded. "He jumped between Toothless and me just as Toothless took the shot."

"But..." Zephyr started, shaking her head. "But I thought Toothless loved you, Daddy..."

"He did, sweetheart, very much. He loved Grandpa too. But when evil men decide they want something done, they will stop at nothing to get their way." Zephyr's eyes were filled with tears again. Hiccup reached up to wipe them away. "It's okay, we got Toothless and all the dragons back. We didn't say goodbye to them for another year after that. But we did lose Grandpa that day."

Zephyr looked up at the statue of her grandfather again, nodding her head slowly. Hiccup paused, giving her a moment to soak everything in. When she looked back at her father, her eyes were concerned. "It's not your fault, Daddy."

Hiccup was taken aback, not expecting her to be so concerned, or even catch on to her father's guilt. All he could bring himself to do was kiss her forehead and whisper a small "thank you" before he continued. "So to answer your question from earlier, yes, the dragons are real. They really did exist, and they still do. But they're far away now, somewhere that evil men can't find them and use them and hurt them."

"There were more evil men?" she asked, fearful.

Hiccup wrapped her in his arms and held her tight. "Yes, sweetheart, there were more. Your mother and I fought every single one of them, right alongside your aunts and uncles." He kissed her hair. "Your grandfather taught me a very important lesson: A chief protects his own. Or her own," he added with a smile, tapping his daughter's nose and making her giggle. "We realized the evil men wouldn't stop until they hunted down all the dragons, and we knew we had to let them go if we wanted to protect them. We had to send the dragons away, somewhere no one could find them, so they would be safe. And we vowed to keep their home a secret so no one would know where to look for them."

Zephyr nodded slowly, understanding what her father was saying. "So that's why you didn't tell Sten that the dragons are real."

Hiccup noticed a strand of Zephyr's hair had fallen out of her braid. He reached out to wrangle it back in, tucking it gently behind her ear. "If people start to forget about the dragons, or think they were just some made-up story, then there's less people that will go looking for them. Some things are better kept a secret, my little warrior. Do you think you can help me keep that secret?"

Zephyr looked into her father's eyes, nodding fiercely, always excited and determined when her father or mother gave her a job that sounded grown up. But then her expression softened, and she looked at her father yet again with caring, concerned eyes that seemed so out of place in her young face. "Will the dragons every get to come home, Daddy?"

Hiccup sighed. "I don't know, sweetheart."

She thought for a moment. "Will I ever get to see a real dragon?"

Hiccup thought for a moment as well, remembering a late night conversation he had with Astrid many moons ago. "Why don't we hold off on that question for a bit, okay?"

Zephyr looked confused, but didn't push any further. She simply nodding in agreement and nestled into her father's chest. Hiccup scooped her up with a playful growl and stood, showering her forehead and cheek with kisses, having enough of the serious, scary talk. Zephyr giggled delightedly, trying to pull away but stuck in Hiccup's strong hold. "Alright, little warrior, enough sad stories for today. Time to go home and help Mommy with baby Nuffink."

She scrunched her nose. "But he's sick!" she cried playfully.

"Ah, but a chief protects his own!" Hiccup bellowed, smiling and swinging Zephyr up onto his shoulders.

"You're the chief, Daddy, not me!" she laughed, grasping Hiccup's head to keep her balance.

Hiccup held onto her legs to keep her from falling off his shoulders backwards. "Oh, alright, then how about I'll take your sick baby brother and you can spend some time with your Momma. Deal?"

"Deal," she said, and planted a big kiss in top of her father's head.


	8. Snoggletog and Mommy's Axe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiccup and Astrid: around 28 years old; Zephyr: 5 years old; Nuffink: about 6 moons old

"Alright, Zeph, it's your turn."

Hiccup swept little Zephyr up into his arms and set her on his lap. He smiled across the room to his wife, lazily lounging in the chair next to him with half-lidded eyes and a sleeping baby Nuffink on her chest. She gently rubbed his back as she happily watched the bright blue eyes of her daughter soaking in the sight of the wrapped box her father gently laid across her lap. Astrid knew what was in it, as Hiccup insisted on getting her permission for the gift before beginning almost a full year earlier, but she hadn't seen the finished product yet.

Hiccup helped balance the box as Zephyr excitedly pulled at the designated string, causing the twine tied carefully around the wooden box to fall away. She lifted the lid and her mouth dropped open, eyes widening and hands trembling with excitement when she realized what exactly her father had given her.

It was an axe, just like Mommy's.

Well, not  _just_  like Mommy's. She immediately could tell her father made this one special for Zephyr and Zephyr only. The handle was intricately carved with swirling vines and carefully painted light blue and black. The metal axehead was adorned with her father's signature red Night Fury Chief seal, and the bottom of the handle boasted the head of a Deadly Nadar.

Hiccup smiled at his wife, who craned her neck to get a better look. "Go on," he gently urged his daughter. "Lift it up so Mommy can see."

Zephyr turned nervously to look at her father, remembering the numerous times in her childhood she had been warned not to play with weapons. "Will you help me?" she squeaked.

"Of course," he replied, kissing the top of her head. He showed her how to best grip the axe before placing his hands under the handle and head to help her lift. Hiccup was well aware she didn't need his help; he had, of course, perfectly balanced the small weapon and made sure it was a proper weight for his daughter. He also refrained from sharpening it quite as well as he did his wife's just in case. But he played along, knowing it gave her some comfort.

Once the axe cleared the box, Hiccup slowly freed one hand to set the box on the floor. Zephyr admired the handle more closely, comparing it in her mind to the axe her mother always carried, the same axe Daddy said she had carried since they were teenagers.

Astrid quietly gasped at the tiny weapon in her daughter's hands. She immediately recognized the Nadar blue and Night Fury black twirling and dancing with each other up the handle, connecting the Nadar head on the bottom to the red Night Fury on the top. He had intertwined their colors and symbols in such a beautiful way, and she knew it was to reflect their daughter as a beautiful combination of the two of them. "Oh, Hiccup," she sighed, smiling at her husband with a hint of tears in her eyes.

"Now, don't be getting all emotional on me," he blushed, turning his attention to their daughter. "What do you think, little warrior?"

She beamed up at him with a bright smile. "I love it, Daddy." She dropped the weapon and turned to envelope her father in a tight hug.

"Woah, now!" Hiccup easily caught the light weapon in his hand as he wrapped his other arm around his daughter. "We don't want to cut off Daddy's one good leg," he warned, but he was chuckling through the words.

Zephyr sheepishly pulled away. "I'm sorry, Daddy."

He smiled and kissed her forehead, brushing away a few strands of hair that had escaped the girl's messy morning braids. "I'm just messing with you, sweetheart. I like the enthusiasm." She smiled now and carefully climbed down off the couch. As she picked up the small axe to admire it again, Hiccup spoke up. "Well, do you want to try it out or are you just going to keep looking at it?"

Zephyr's head snapped up, eyes wide. "Really?"

He shrugged. "Why don't you ask your mother? She's the axe expert around here."

Zephyr shyly turned her head. "Momma?"

Astrid smiled at the pleading eyes of her daughter. What, like she could say no to that? "If you throw some extra layers on, we can go outside and test it out."

Zephyr dropped the axe back into her father's hands as a smile engulfed her face, dashing out of the room in search of her furs and warm boots.

Astrid looked to her husband now. "Hiccup... That axe..."

"You like it?" he asked, setting it back into its box on the chair.

"It's beautiful. And it's perfect for her."

"I hope so." He stood up with a grunt and reached out his arms. "Alright, little guy, Daddy's turn for cuddles. Momma's got to get some more layers on, too."

Astrid chuckled. "Good luck getting more cuddles out of him. I'm amazed he's gone this long without making a fuss."

"Ah, he's just like his Momma," Hiccup said as he lifted the sleeping babe off his wife's chest. "Morning's don't suit him."

"You can say that again. Help me up," she said. Hiccup shook his head but smiled, shifting Nuffink against his chest and holding the small boy with one arm as he used the other to lift his wife to her feet. She stood on her toes to brush her lips against her husband's and then to her son's blonde hair, gripping Hiccup's shoulder with one hand and resting the other on his stomach to balance her in her sleepy state as she always did. "Be good for Daddy."

"He's great for me, I don't know why you have so much trouble with him," Hiccup joked. Astrid pinched his stomach before removing her hands and making her way upstairs. "Ow! Stop that! Why is it always the stomach lately?!"

Astrid shrugged. "Convenience," she said with a devious smile over her shoulder.

Hiccup rolled his eyes and chuckled as his wife retreated upstairs, bouncing side to side gently as he turned his attention to his son. "Alright, baby boy, what are the men going to do while the ladies go chuck some axes into some trees?"

Nuffink rubbed his head back and forth against his father's shoulder and started squirming, grabbing Hiccup's shirt in tiny fistfuls and grumbling garbled non-words.

"Nah, I don't think we can do that, they'll get too jealous," Hiccup said, patting his back.

Nuffink continued his babbling, the firelight from the pit in the middle of the sitting room catching his eyes. He pointed in that general direction before bringing both his fists up to his mouth.

"You're right, they'll be hungry when they come back in. We should make breakfast." Hiccup retreated to the kitchen and began pulling out the necessities for porridge.

Nuffink tried to stuff his fist in his mouth, but then extended his arm suddenly and cried out.

Hiccup gasped playful. "Don't you say that! Zephyr loves my porridge!"

Zephyr bounded into the kitchen, breathing heavy and searching frantically for her mother. Her eyes fell on her father instead.

Hiccup pointed at Nuffink. "He said you don't like my porridge."

Zephyr shrugged. "It's better than Momma's."

Hiccup's jaw dropped. "Is that an equivocal way of saying you don't like my porridge?"

"Daddy, I don't know what that means," she said, eyebrows pinched together.

"It means you don't like my porridge."

"Alright, children, what are we fighting about?" Astrid asked as she walked down the stairs.

"Zephyr doesn't like my porridge," Hiccup said with mock indignation.

Zephyr growled. "That's not what I said! I just said was it's better than-" She stopped herself mid-phrase and looked up at her mother with pursed lips and wide eyes.

Astrid raised her eyebrows, trying to stifle her laughter. "Better than...?"

Zephyr's eyes snapped between her mother and father. "Nothing Momma lets go try my axe!" she said quickly, grabbing the weapon and bolting out the door.

Astrid crossed her arms at her husband. He paused, looking wide-eyed at his wife before pointing to his son. "Nuffink started it." Nuffink saw his mother and cried out, laughing as he waved his arms in the air. "Oh, don't you sell me out!" Hiccup said, tickling Nuffink's stomach and earning continued cascades of laughter.

Astrid simply rolled her eyes as she walked out the door smiling and grabbed her own axe. "Boys."

* * *

"Alright, good, now just move this hand up  _just_  a little bit, and you've got a perfect hold," Astrid instructed. Zephyr obeyed, adjusting her grip on her little axe handle to match that of her mother's.

"Like this, Momma?"

"Yes, that's perfect sweetheart! Okay, step back with your foot- No, no baby girl, other foot. Yes! Just like that. Now swing it forward across your chest. Slowly! I want you to get the feel for it before we give it our all, okay?"

Zephyr nodded, planting her feet and bringing the axe across her body. She stopped it as her hands brushed against her hip. The smile that she flashed her mother could have blinded a man wearing Hiccup's old Deathsong amber goggles. "How was that, Momma, how was that?!"

"That was perfect, sweetheart! No do it again, a little faster this time."

Zephyr obeyed, pulling the axe back up to her shoulder slowly and swinging it back down with a little more force. When she stopped it right next to her hip again, she brought it back up and swung back down, over and over again, until she was swinging with all her might.

Astrid clapped her hands, overflowing with joy as she watched her daughter grow accustomed to the weapon. "Yes, Zephyr, that's great! I'm so proud of you, baby, you're doing so good!"

Zephyr laughed delightedly at her mother's enthusiasm, excited she made her mother proud. "What now, Momma?!"

"Hm..." Astrid playfully pondered, bringing her finger to her chin and placing her opposite fist on her waist. "I don't know if you're ready..."

"I'm ready! I'm ready!" Zephyr begged, jumping up and down.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, yes, yes!"

Astrid narrowed her eyes, holding her stance but unable to keep from smiling. Zephyr giggled so hard Astrid thought she might burst. "Do you want to throw it?"

Zephyr's jaw dropped. "Throw it in a tree?!"

"Yeah! Do you want me to teach you how?"

Zephyr nodded fervently as Astrid picked up her own axe. "Okay, okay, listen. You're going to stand the same way, one foot in front of the other. The grip is just the same way, too. And you're going to bring it up to your shoulder again, but this time instead of swinging it all the way down, you're going to let go when it comes in front of your face. Understand?"

Zephyr nodded more modestly now, soaking in every bit of the lesson.

"Now watch me for a minute, okay?"

Zephyr nodded again, holding her axe tight in her hands as she watched her mother's every move.

The snow beneath Astrid's feet crunched softly as she took her stance, exaggerating and slowing each motion for her daughter to observe. She snapped the axe forward and it sunk deep into the bark of the tree about 20 paces ahead of her. Looking down at Zephyr, she smiled. "See? Easy enough, right?" Zephyr nodded nervously, making Astrid chuckle as she kneeled down next to her. "It's okay, I'm right here. Now, look ahead. Find your target," she said, leaning in to set her head next to her daughter's and pointing to a lower point in the tree she had just struck. Zephyr followed her gaze. "Focus on the exact point you want your axe to hit. And then when you're ready, just pull it up over your head, and throw it forward with all your might!"

Astrid stepped back as Zephyr nodded. She watched as Zephyr took a deep breath, eyes locked in concentration and finding her grip on the axe handle. Astrid's heart soared as she took a deep breath and held it, trying to keep herself from bursting with pride. She could do this, she could do this...

Zephyr's brow pinched together, lips locked and nose scrunched and she focused on the tree. She found the  _exact_  point she wanted to hit, just like Momma said. She adjusted and planted her feet, just like Momma did. And then she took a deep breath and lifted her axe.

Unfortunately, Zephyr was a little too focused on the point in the tree and it distracted her from her grip. As she tried to snap the axe forward (just like Momma did), the handle slipped from her grasp. Astrid saw the slack in her fingers in barely enough time to lunge forward and catch the weapon before it fell far enough to clip Zephyr's ankle (Astrid refused to imagine it cutting anything else... Or anything  _off..._ ). Zephyr, however, only felt the leather leave her fingers over her head rather than in front of it, and screamed as she jumped out of the way.

Astrid set the axe down and turned to Zephyr, now breathing hard and fast with tears in her eyes, hands locked together and pulled into her chest. "Oh, Oh Zeph, come here baby girl. You're okay, I got you," Astrid said as she quickly pulled her into a tight embrace. "You did great, that was so good!"

"B-b-b-but-"

"You just had your grip a little loose, that's all," Astrid cooed, brushing Zephyr's hair from her eyes. "Everything else was so perfect! I bet next time-"

"NO! No, no next time, Momma!" Zephyr cried as the first tears broke loose and streaked down her rosy cheeks. "No next time..."

She sniffled as Astrid wiped the tears from her eyes. "Well why don't we give it a little break today, and we can try again tomorrow, hm?"

"No, Mommy, no..." Zephyr shook her head and buried her face into her mother's shoulder.

"Why not, baby girl?"

Her response came out muffled against Astrid's furs.

"I can't understand you when you talk into my shoulder, sweetheart," Astrid said patiently, rubbing Zephyr's back.

Zephyr lifted her face, revealing the waterfall of tears. "I'm not brave enough, Mommy," she choked. "I'll never be a brave warrior like Momma and Daddy."

"Nonsense," Astrid said, choking back tears herself now. She gently rubbed her hands over Zephyr's arms, pushing her back enough that Astrid could easily look into Zephyr's eyes. Sobs were now tearing through Zephyr's chest, disappointed in herself and afraid she had disappointed her mother as well. "What does Daddy always call you? What's his special name for you?"

"Li-li-little warri-ri-rio-or," she managed to say, calming down ever so slightly.

"Exactly, his little warrior. And you know what else? Daddy doesn't ever lie."

Zephyr sniffled. "R-really?"

"Really.  _Especially_  to his little warrior. And maybe axes just aren't the weapon you're best at." A gentle breeze blew Zephyr's hair into her eyes again, and Astrid brushed them back as she continued. "Being brave isn't all about weapons and strength, baby girl. Being smart and strategic is just as important. Like Daddy and me. I throw the axe, Daddy tells me where. It's what makes us a great team."

Zephyr sniffled again as she looked at the snow and contemplated her mother's words. "So I can be smart and still be a brave warrior, even if I don't like axes?"

"Of course, sweetheart." Astrid pulled her back into a warm embrace, kissing Zephyr's hair.

When Zephyr pulled back she took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay. But Momma?"

"Yes, sweetie?"

"Can we not tell Daddy that i didn't like the axe today? H-he already thinks I don't like his porridge and I don't wanna make him feel bad." Zephyr shrugged and held up her hands. "And, I don't know, maybe I'll like the axe better tomorrow or next week. I don't know."

Astrid laughed. "Alright, honey, sounds like a plan. How about we get some breakfast?" At Zephyr's enthusiastic nod, Astrid stood and laughed again. She pulled her axe from the tree and picked up Zephyr's. "Let's go!" she said, holding out her hand.

Zephyr hesitated, digging her toe into the ground and swinging her body side to side. "Um... Can-can I still carry my axe, Momma?"

Astrid smiled and handed the small gift to Zephyr, overjoyed she didn't completely destroy her daughter's confidence today. "Of course!" Zephyr happily took the weapon, looked up at her mother to examine her stance, and set the axe on her shoulder and the head behind her head, holding the handle tightly near the decorative Deadly Nadar at the bottom. She reached up with her free hand and wrapped her fingers around her mother's first two fingers as they made their way back to the hut.

And much to Astrid's delight, that would be far from the last time her daughter tried to throw an axe.


	9. For the Dancing and the Dreaming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A chapter I've been waiting anxiously to write since I started fanfiction writing. I hope you guys enjoy the idea as much as I do!

_Hiccup and Astrid: around 29 years old; Zephyr: 6 years old; Nuffink: 2 years old_

The day was unusually warm, and the entirety of New Berk was taking the opportunity to bask in the glory of the sun.  Everyone was slacking on their daily duties, and not even the Chief was planning to put a stop to it. Especially not when he could stay at home and watch his children enjoy the sunshine without a care in the world.

“Come on, Nuffink!” Zephyr cried delightedly.  The small boy toddled along, following his sister as she ran backwards to lead her little brother.  She made fun faces as she slowly swerved, allowing him to keep up with her. He screeched in delight each time she evaded his grasp before continuing to chase her.

Zephyr ducked behind a large tree, confusing little Nuffink.  He glanced around, finding Grandma Valka chuckling nearby. When she met Nuffink’s gaze, she shrugged.  “Where’s Zephyr, little one?”

Nuffink cried out, pointing at nothing as he looked between the edge of the forest, his home, and his grandmother.  Valka laughed as she noticed Zephyr peeking around the edge of the tree, Nuffink oblivious of the movement. She walked over to the little boy, kneeling next to him and wrapping one arm around him.  Keeping her face next to his, she pointed to Zephyr’s hiding place and said, “Nuffink, look!”

Zephyr disappeared just before Nuffink could turn his head.  She waited a moment before slowly peeking her head around the tree again.  She met Nuffink’s eye, earning a delighted cry from him. But just as he began to take a step towards his sister, she disappeared yet again.

Nuffink looked to his Grandma Valka, who mocked his confusion.  “Where’d she go?” she asked.

Nuffink raised his hands as if to say “I don’t know,” and looked around.  “‘Issy!” he said.

“Where’s sissy, Nuffink?” Valka said, holding back laughter.

“‘Issy bye-bye!”

“Did sissy go bye-bye?”

“Yeah,” Nuffink confirmed calmly with a nod.

Valka chuckled again, tickling Nuffink’s stomach with one finger before pointing back to the tree.  “Nuffink!”

Zephyr peeked out again as Nuffink spun around.  He gave a delighted cry as he took a step towards his sister, but then she disappeared, stopping him in his tracks.  He turned back around to Valka, who simply smiled and pointed back to the tree. Zephyr peeked around faster now, only disappearing for a short moment before reappearing.  Nuffink laughed each time, taking a step or two and then freezing in confusion when she retreated. When he had just about reached the tree, Zephyr jumped out and tickled him, leading him back towards Valka.

She let him catch up to her as she closed the distance back to their grandmother, crouching down so she could wrap her arms around him before falling over carefully as if he had tackled her.  “Oh no! You got me, Nuff! You got me!”

He hugged his sister tight as he laughed, gripping her clothing at her shoulders.  The children’s delighted laughter made Valka’s heart swell. She may have missed these precious years in Hiccup’s life, but at least she was here now.  Her heart grew heavy when she thought about how Stoik should be here too, but she tried not to dwell on that sadness.

Astrid sighed contentedly as she looked down over the sweet scene from one of the first floor balconies.  Hiccup smiled as he joined her, placing a kiss on her temple.

“We did pretty well with those two,” Astrid said.

“You sound surprised,” Hiccup laughed.

Astrid shrugged.  “We weren’t exactly the most grounded kids ourselves.”

Hiccup chuckled at the double meaning behind her words.  He slipped his hand underneath Astrid’s and spun her into his chest.  “We grew up eventually.”

Astrid wound a hand around Hiccup’s neck and rested her head on his shoulder as his fingers found their place on her waist.  He kissed her fingers as he raised their opposite hands and began swaying gently. “I guess we did,” Astrid agreed. “Your father would be so proud of you.”

Hiccup smiled and kissed her hair.  “I hope so.”

“He would.  Of the Chief you’ve become, of course, but especially the father you are.”  Astrid lifted her head to meet Hiccup’s eyes. “I know I am.”

Hiccup smiled and closed his eyes as he rested his forehead against hers.  “Thank you,” he whispered.

The mention of his father always brought up a mix of memories and emotions.  But seeing his mother outside with his children as well pulled up a very specific memory, one of the only ones he had of his parents together.

Hiccup wasn’t exactly sure what possessed him to start, but he took a shuddering breath and quietly began singing.   _ “I’ll swim and sail on savage seas, with ne’er a fear of drowning.  And gladly ride the waves of life, if you would marry me.” _

Astrid’s eyes fluttered open for a moment, surprised by the quiet tune her husband began.  Something about it was familiar, but she couldn’t place what. But seeing that his eyes were still closed and a redness was blooming in his cheeks, she was too distracted to care.  She simply closed her eyes and listened.

_ “No scorching sun, nor freezing cold, could stop me on my journey.  If you would promise me your heart, and love me for eternity...” _

Suddenly Astrid placed the song.  She heard Valka singing it all the time to herself, just not necessarily the words Hiccup was singing.  She would hum a verse, then sing one. Occasionally Hiccup would catch her and sing the verses she would typically hum, earning a blushing smile from Valka as she escaped from the room.  But somehow Astrid knew what came next.

_ “My dearest one, my darling dear, your mighty words astound me.  But I’ve no need for mighty deeds when I feel your arms around me.” _

Hiccup didn’t expect to hear Astrid’s voice fill the room after his, but the swell in his heart when he heard it bloomed up his throat to his lips.  HIs voice grew stronger through the smile as he began again, gently gliding with his bride through the front room.  _ “But I would bring you rings of gold, I’d even sing you poetry.  And I would keep you from all harm, if you would stay beside me.” _

Astrid giggled as they continued to glide and softly sing to each other.   _ “I have no use for rings of gold, I care not for your poetry.  I only want your hand to hold, I only want you near me.” _

Their voices didn’t quite blend like Valka and Stoick’s did, nor was their dance as agile and bouncy.  Astrid and Hiccup were much more accustomed to the dance of the battlefield. But that didn’t stop them as they sang the rest in unison, twirling around each other like the carefree children they never quite gave themselves the chance to be.

_ “To love, to kiss, to sweetly hold, for the dancing and the dreaming.  Through all life’s sorrows and delights, I’ll keep your laugh inside me.  I’ll swim and sail on savage seas, with ne’er a fear of drowning, and gladly ride the waves of life, if you would marry me.” _

As they slowed to a stop in the middle of the room, Hiccup’s smile grew softer yet still brighter at the same time.  He reached up to stroke Astrid’s cheek with his thumb before leaning in for a slow, deep kiss.

As they carefully broke apart, Astrid whispered into Hiccup’s lips, “I want to have another baby.”

Hiccup chuckled.  “What have we been doing for the last year, then?”

“Practicing,” Astrid murmured through a smile, leaning in to steal another kiss.

Suddenly, Valka cleared her throat in the doorway, causing Hiccup and Astrid to jump apart like two teenagers caught in a forbidden act.  Zephyr’s eyes were wide as she looked between her parents. Valka chuckled, and Zephyr leaned back out of the door. “Uh, come on, Nuffink!” she said, pulling her clueless little brother along to the grass again.  Zephyr had no idea what was going on, but she didn’t want to know, either.

Valka casually stepped into the living space, passively picking up toys as she ignored the bright red faces of her son and daughter-in-law.  “My my. You know, I’d like to spend some more time with my dear grandchildren. Mind if I keep them for the night?”

“Mom!” Hiccup said, face growing somehow redder than his late father’s hair.  Astrid hid her smile in Hiccup’s shoulder, desperately trying to stifle her laughter.

“What?  I love spending time with my grandchildren!” she innocently offered.  She shrugged as she bent over to pick up Zephyr’s stuffed Night Fury, muttering, “and I absolutely would not mind more little ones-”

“MOM!”

“What?!” Valka cried, straightening up.

Astrid was practically in tears holding back laughter as Hiccup sighed.  She cleared her throat, though her voice was still obviously strained. “I’ll pack their things!” she choked as she ran up the stairs.

Hiccup shook his head at his wife, but he was smiling.  He turned to meet his mother’s expectant eyes again. “What now?”

“You’ve got nine moons,” she sternly ordered.

“Who says it's going to work tonight?  We’re not so young anymore, you know.”

Valka laughed loudly.  “Oh, I don’t think we have to worry about that.  You know as well as I, son, it’s not the age that matters, it's the-”

_ “MOM!” _

Valka snickered as she followed Astrid, obviously pleased with herself.  Hiccup shook his head and walked out the front door.  _ “It’s not the age that matters, Hiccup. _   So gross, Mom.” he mocked to himself.  “Zephyr! Nuffink! Do you want to stay with Grammy Valka tonight?”

Zephyr looked up, a little worried.  “Do we have to eat her food?”

Hiccup chuckled.  “I’ll pack dinner.”

“Can we come home for breakfast?”

“Always,” Hiccup laughed.

Zephyr picked Nuffink up off the ground, easily swayed.  “Nuffink! We get to have fun with Grammy tonight!”

Hiccup glanced back inside with a devious smile, thinking to himself about the fun he was about to have with his beloved wife all night as well.


	10. Meeting Old Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it has been quite a while since I've been able to post here, but I hope you guys are ready for some updates! A lot of the medical issues I had been dealing with have been resolved, so I have time to write again FINALLLY.
> 
> This chapter I started back in the summer but just now got around to finishing out the last bit of it. Hope you enjoy, and I'll see you soon!

_ Hiccup and Astrid: around 30 years old; Zephyr: 6 years old; Nuffink: 3 years old _

“Zephyr, are you sure you want to take your brand new boots on the ship with us?”

“Yes, Momma!”

“But what if they accidentally fall off the ship?  Or get wet and ruined?”

Astrid waited patiently for her daughter to call back her answer, holding the small boots in her hand as she went through Zephyr’s attempt at packing her own bag.  She was just about to call back out to her daughter when she heard little hurried footsteps bounding her way.

“Um...  Maybe I’ll save my new boots for later,” Zephyr said, snatching the boots out of her mother’s hands and running back up the stairs to her room.

Astrid chuckled as she turned back to her daughter’s bag, refolding the clothes that had been haphazardly thrown in.

“Alright, m’lady,” Hiccup said as he came down the stairs, another bag under one arm and his son wrapped in the other.  “Nuff’s all packed up.”

“Did you pack his stuffed Naddar?”

“Of course, I wouldn’t put  _ any _ of us through that,” he chuckled.  Nuffink blushed and buried his head shyly in Hiccup’s shoulder.

“Oh, he’s just messing with you, sweetheart,” Astrid cooed at her son as Hiccup kissed his head.  “Is your bag all packed up, Chief?”

“That it is, Chieftess.  Just need to grab my spare legs and we’re good to go.  So if you could take this,” Hiccup said, handing Astrid Nuffink’s bag, “and  _ this,” _ he added, handing Nuffink over to Astrid.  She showered his face in kisses as she dropped his bag next to Zephyr’s and pulled her son into her chest, making him giggle and attempt to shy away from her.

Hiccup chuckled as he turned and climbed up the stairs, nearly getting toppled over by Zephyr.  “Woah, there, little warrior! Slow down!”

“Sorry, Daddy!” she called back breathlessly.  She rushed to her mother and held out an older pair of boots.  “How about these, Momma?”

“Much better,” Astrid praised.  Zephyr flashed a wide smile and rushed back upstairs.  “Where are you going?”

“To help Daddy so we can leave faster!” Zephyr cried, already out of sight.

Zephyr burst into her parents’ room at full speed.  “DaddyDaddyDaddyDaddy!”

“Oh boy,” Hiccup laughed, “What is it, baby girl?”

“Come on, Daddy, we gotta pack all your legs!”  She rushed around the room looking in drawers and cabinets, trying to find where her father hides his spare prosthetics.

Hiccup chuckled and opened the lid to the chest he was standing next to.  “You mean these?”

Zephyr turned around and giggled at herself.  She rushed over to her father’s side and helped him pack the last of his things before rushing back down the stairs.

Hiccup followed behind, setting the sack with the rest of his family’s packed belongings.  “Someone is quite eager to get on that ship,” he said to his wife.

“I noticed,” Astrid agreed with a laugh.  “I think you got her a little too excited with all those bedtime stories.”

“Well, I am an  _ epic _ storyteller,” Hiccup said before suddenly leaning over to snatch up his daughter as she attempted to run past her parents.  She giggled with delight as he growled into her stomach before righting her on his hip. “You know, there’s not so much room on the boat to run around like this,” he joked.

“Are we really gonna see the dragons, Daddy?  Toothless and Stormfly?” she asked, eyes wide and eager and sparkling like the stars at night.

“That’s the hope,” Hiccup replied with a heavy sigh.  “Odin willing they’ll be near the surface when we get there.”

“I’m sure we’ll see them,” Astrid said, giving his arm a reassuring squeeze.

Hiccup smiled at her as he set his daughter down.  “But Daddy,” Zephyr started, “how do you know Toothless and Stormfly are still the same?”

“Well, we don’t.”

Zephyr seemed to consider this as Hiccup and Astrid gathered all their supplies at the door.  “Well, then how do you know they still like people?”

Hiccup sighed.  She always asked the hard questions.  “We really don’t, sweetheart.”

Zephyr quietly contemplated again.  Hiccup and Astrid took one last inventory as Zephyr sat down in one of the nearby chairs around the fire pit.  Nuffink immediately sat next to her, snuggling up happily into her. She instinctively wrapped her arms around him to hug him closer, letting him lean into her.  “Momma, is Toothless gonna eat Daddy?”

Astrid snorted so hard she almost choked.  Hiccup stood straight up and shot his wife a bewildered look.  “Toothless is not going to eat Daddy,” Astrid choked through laughter.

“But what if they don’t like people anymore?” Zephyr argued.

“Trust me, Toothless will recognize Daddy in a heartbeat.”

“But-”

“He’ll be fine!”

But Hiccup couldn’t get the worry out of the pit of his stomach the entirety of loading the boat.  What if Toothless  _ didn’t _ remember him?  The thought hadn’t even occurred to him before his daughter brought it up.  Was this a bad idea? Should they cancel the trip? Was he putting his family in danger?

Astrid tried to reassure him.  He felt in his gut this was the right decision all this time, why change that now?  Zephyr didn’t know Toothless like they did, she had never met him before. Of course she would have her doubts; the only animal-human relationships she knew were that of the New Berkian livestock, and that was hardly the same as dragons.

But every once in a while during the trip to the Hidden World, Hiccup would turn around to see his daughter curiously watching him.  “What is it, Zeph?”

“He’s gonna eat you, Daddy,” she would immediately reply.

“He’s not going to eat your father!”

“He won’t eat me!”

Zephyr would eye her parents for a moment before leaning closer to Nuffink, who was typically snuggled up next to her.  “He’s gonna get eaten.”

Nuffink would giggle at the interaction and all would be well until Zephyr brought it up again.

But all grew quiet as the boat was blanketed in a soft mist, a gentle fog rolling over the wooden planks of the deck and kissing the cheeks of the humans aboard.  Zephyr still swung around on the ropes in excitement, imitating the practiced sailing techniques of her parents as they dropped anchor. Nuffink was as still and watchful as he had been since boarding, sensing the nervous energy of his father.  And Hiccup was indeed quite nervous, desperately praying Odin would protect his family; let all the harm come to him, but for the love of Thor, protect his wife and children from the smallest of scratches. Astrid was ever supportive, letting her husband know she stood with him.

That nervous energy extended to every human on the boat as the mist revealed two great beasts perched on rocks ahead, one bright and white and the other mysteriously black as the night sky.  Astrid stepped back with the children slowly as Hiccup froze; he let out a sigh heavy with relief, shock, surprise, nostalgia, desperation, sadness, and joy all at once as three tiny beasts of mixed white and black patches popped up behind the white one.

And suddenly, the mass of black scales and bared teeth rocketed from the faraway rocks, jolting the boat as he landed on the bow.  All excitement disappeared as Astrid and the children watched the beast slowly advance on Hiccup in terrified anticipation.

“Hey, Toothless,” Hiccup whispered, preparing himself to extend a shaky hand.  “Remember me?”


	11. Growing Pains

_ Hiccup and Astrid: around 30 years old; Zephyr: 7 years old; Nuffink: 4 years old _

Zephyr skipped down the path leading from the Meade Hall, having just left her mother and Uncle Snotlout to finish their defense strategy plans for the next day before heading home.  She had been charged with finding Nuffink and bringing him home as well to help prepare dinner. She always loved cooking with her brother. Mommy wasn’t the best, but Zephyr was quickly learning how to correct the mistakes Mommy made before they got too...   _ Interesting _ .

She shivered as the smell of Yaknog drifted into her nose from somewhere deep in her subconscious.  She wasn’t good enough yet to fix that, uh... Mostly liquid... Substance... But maybe one day soon.  Hopefully. For the sake of the  _ whole village _ .  Zephyr pondered for a moment.  Maybe she could at least  _ improve  _ it to make it  _ bearable _ for now.  Maybe if they added-

“-a simple sentence, just one!”

“Seriously, he’s four years old and the son of the smartest man in New Berk.  You’d think he could handle  _ speaking.” _

That didn’t sound good.  Zephyr ducked behind a wood stack to listen closer.

“Just one.  One little sentence.   _ Correctly,” _ the second voice continued.  They sounded like older boys.

The only noise that followed was the wind whistling between the huts.

The first boy laughed.  “There’s kids younger than him that have been speaking better since they were two!”

“Me’s only four!”

Zephyr’s face flared with anger at Nuffink’s desperate cry.  That’s what she was afraid of. She jumped out from behind the wood and approached the boys, not paying any mind to the fact that they were easily twice her size.

“Excuse me,” she said loudly, hands on her hips.  “Can I help you?”

The second boy snorted.  “Get out of here, princess.”

“Leave him alone,” she demanded.

The boy leaned over with his hands on his knees in front of Zephyr’s face.

Big mistake.

“And what exactly do you think you’re going to do about it if I don’t, pipsqueak?”

_ Bigger _ mistake.

“Lasse, they’re the Chief’s kids, let it go,” the first boy said nervously.”

Lasse didn’t seem to hear him.  “Cry to your daddy? Make your mommy throw an axe at me?”  He sneered. “You know I’m right. You know your useless little brother here is broken.”

_ That’s it! _

Zephyr shifted her weight to her right foot and threw a strong roundhouse kick with her left in one fluid motion, just like her mother had taught her, making contact with Lasse’s crotch easily.  And just for good measure, when he bowed his head in pain, she smacked both of his ears with flat hands like her father had shown her. He stumbled backwards, falling on his backside and looking around bewildered.

Zephyr stood over him, straddling his chest between her feet, and leaned down to grab the ties of his tunic.  “Tell him you’re sorry,” she growled.

His face flared red in anger and his brows crushed together before he spat in her face.

Zephyr pulled back in shock, taking his tunic ties in her fist with her.  She wiped the spit away and slowly turned back to him.

He was too busy smirking to catch the movement of her first pulling back before she snapped it forward with a force most six year old girls could only dream of mustering.  A sickeningly sweet crunch crackled from the bridge of Lasse’s nose as the force snapped his head back. Blood began dripping from his nostrils by the time the back of his head bounced off the ground.

Zephyr leaned down until her face was inches from his.  “Do me a favor, ‘lass,’” she spit, imitating Uncle Gobber’s thick accent on the last word, “and leave before I decide to make you bleed more.”  She lifted her leg to step around him, but had another thought. Pressing her foot into his chest, she added, “And mess with my brother again, I’ll be sure to leave you with more than a broken nose.”

He squeaked unintentionally as she lifted her foot off his chest and tried to cover the noise by deeply clearing his throat.  His friend helped pull him off the ground and away from the siblings. Zephyr faintly heard the other boy say, “I warned you, dumbass.”

Zephyr smirked a proud smile at their backs before turning to her brother.  But her face fell at the sight of tears in his eyes. He sniffed and looked at the ground.

She slowly closed the distance between them and squeezed his shoulders.  “Don’t listen to them, Nuffy,” she comforted. “They’re just bored. And bullies.”  Nuffink let his sister wrap him in her arms, but said nothing. She tamed the wild locks of his hair with her fingers and squeezed him in a tighter embrace.  “They don’t get to see how special you are, and that’s their problem.”

Nuffink nodded his head and half-heartedly pushed away from his sister, scrubbing tears away from his eyes.  He trudged home followed closely behind by Zephyr. She wasn’t sure what to say to him, so the walk home was an unusually quiet one.

Astrid noticed the difference the minute her children walked through the door.  Nuffink had pushed passed the wood with his shoulder, falling over the threshold, and immediately dragged himself up the stairs.  Zephyr entered hesitantly behind him.

Astrid raised a concerned eyebrow.  “Zephyr, is everything okay?”

Zephyr watched the stairs with a worried glance as she walked to her mother’s side.  “Um...” she started, but stopped herself. She wrapped her arms around Astrid’s legs and laid her head on her belly, fairly swollen with a new baby.

“What’s going on?  Is Nuffink hurt?” Astrid asked, worried now.

“No, Momma,” Zephyr said.  She thought for a minute. “Well...  His feelings might be,” she added sheepishly.

“What happened?”

“Two mean older boys made fun of him ‘cause he doesn’t talk right,” Zephyr said acidly.

Astrid sighed.  She and Hiccup had worried something like that would happen.  She lifted Zephyr up to sit her on the table she was using to cut vegetables.  “Is that why he’s sad?”

Zephyr nodded, but seemed distracted by a thought.  “Momma, does Nuffink not talk right?”

Astrid opened her mouth to answer, but turned her focus to the vegetables suddenly, ashamed by the thought she had.  She quickly adjusted her sentence in her head. “Sometimes he says things a little more out of order than most people would say it.  But he’s still young. Everyone has trouble learning how to talk when they’re little.”

Zephyr folded her hands in her lap, looking at the floor.  “But Nuffink is taking longer than most people, isn’t he?”

Astrid’s brows pinched together.  “Is that what the older boys said?”

Zephyr nodded, which Astrid caught out of the corner of her eye.

Astrid sighed.  “Yes, he is.” She chuckled to herself.  “It seems like everything the poor kid manages to do early, he learns something else much later than most do.”  Zephyr considered her mother’s words carefully as Astrid sighed. “I should go check on him.”

“Wait, Momma, no,” Zephyr said, grabbing Astrid’s arm in both of her hands.  “Can I talk to him first?”

Astrid looked at her daughter carefully, weighing the pros and cons in her head.  She sighed again. “Are you sure?”

She nodded.  “Please, Momma.”

Giving her daughter one more glance-over, she took a deep breath.  “Alright,” she said, lifting her daughter off the table and on her feet.

Zephyr smiled and hugged her mother’s waist tightly.  “Thank you, Momma!” said, followed by a giggle with the baby in her mother’s tummy kicked her cheek.  She kissed the spot the kick had come from and bounded up the stairs.

Taking a deep breath and settling herself before entering, she pushed open the door and peaked in.

Nuffink was laying in his bed, curled in a ball with his back to the door.  “Nuff?” she carefully asked.

The ball tightened.

Zephyr chewed her cheek as she entered, thinking carefully about what to say.  “Do you want to talk about it?”

“Useless,” Nuffink muttered, but too low for Zephyr to make it out.

“What?” she asked, standing next to his bed.

“Useless!” Nuffink repeated louder this time,

Zephyr sighed, fighting back tears.  “You’re not useless, Nuffink. Those mean boys, they just...  They just don’t understand.”

“Useless...” Nuffink squeaked, more tears adding to the pool soaking his pillow.

Zephyr bit her lip as she thought over the words her mother had just told her.   _ It seems like everything the poor kid manages to do early, he learns something else much later than most do. _

“Well, you’re a really good finder,” she started.  “You can always find my boots when I can’t. And you helped Daddy find that tool that does the cranky thing.”

She noticed his head start to lift off his pillow and in her direction, but he stopped himself.  But at least that meant she had his attention.

“And you run faster than any other kids,” she continued, more confident in her words.  “Even the older ones.”

Nuffink turned his head now to look at his sister.  “More?” he squeaked.

Zephyr smiled and sat on his bed.  “Yeah, there’s more. You’re really strong, too.  You beat me every time we wrestle. And you don’t cry when you get hurt like all the other kids do!  That means you’re really tough.”

He sat up and wiped his nose on his shirt sleeve, nodding.  “Guess so.”

Zephyr pulled him into a tight hug.  “You just didn’t learn to talk as fast as everyone else because you were too busy getting better at all the other stuff than them.  You’ll get better, just like they might get better at fighting and finding and running. You just... Thought those things were more important.”  Zephyr smiled. “That’s my favorite thing about you. That makes you special and different. And I love that about you.”

Nuffink sniffed loudly as he leaned into his sister’s embrace.  “Love sissy too.” He thought for a moment, and then added, “but how’s I gotta get better if no one teach me?”

“I’ll teach you,” Zephyr offered.  “I promise.”

Nuffink pulled away to meet her eyes.  “Always?”

“Always.”

He smiled brightly.  “Love sissy,” he said, hugging her tightly and enthusiastically.

Zephyr giggled and hugged him back.  “I love you too, but try ‘I love you, sissy’ next time.”

Nuffink pulled back again, somehow smiling brighter than the moment before.  “I love you, sissy.”

Zephyr’s heart swelled with pride.  She reached out with both hands to wipe the tear stains off his cheeks.  “I love you too, bubby.” She stood up and offered a hand. “Now let’s go help Momma make dinner before she starts making weird changes to the recipe.”

Nuffink giggled and raced out of the door instead of taking her hand.

“Not fair!”  Zephyr cried playfully before sprinting after him.  Flying down the stairs, she found him giggling in the sitting room.  She wasted no time bounding after him and tackling him to the ground.

“I win, I win!” Nuffink chanted, trying to escape Zephyr’s attempts of tickling him.

“You  _ always _ win races!” Zephyr laughed, never letting up.

Astrid, hearing and watching the commotion, walked over to investigate closer.  “Now what is all this about, children?”

“I win races!” Nuffink said, escaping Zephyr’s grasp and running to the kitchen.

Astrid laughed.  “Well maybe you two can race to see who can set up the fire pit faster.”  As Zephyr walked by, Astrid touched her shoulder and whispered, “Is everything okay?”

Zephyr nodded with a smile.  “He’s all better now.”

Astrid leaned over to kiss the top of her head.  “That’s my girl.”

Hiccup returned home not long after, finding his children giggling over vegetables and bread and soup broth while his wife worked to start a fire.

“What’s so funny?”  He asked his children with a smile.

“This potato looks like a sheep!” Zephyr explained, holding up the root vegetable.

“Does it, now?” Hiccup asked, chuckling himself now as he walked behind them to kiss their heads and ruffle their hair.  “Have you two been good for Momma today?”

“Yes, Daddy,” Zephyr said as she measured out the vegetables that were already chopped.

Hiccup reached Astrid just as the fire truly crackled to life.  She started to try to pull herself off the floor, but couldn’t quite find her center of balance.  Hiccup lifted her up and swiftly pulled her into an almost sideways embrace, kissing her and placing a hand on her rounded belly.

“Well, hello to you too,” Astrid said breathlessly after they broke apart.

Nuffink and Zephyr started giggling again as they watched their parents.

Hiccup raised his eyebrows at the pair.  “Why don’t you two set the table,” he said with a chuckle.  

The children climbed off the stools they were standing on to gather plates and spoons while Hiccup hung a finished stew over the fire to warm.  Astrid tossed a loaf of bread to him when he was done and added the chopped vegetables to the new broth for tomorrow’s lunch.

“So, did anything interesting happen today?” Hiccup asked, carefully warming the bread over the fire.

“Zephyr broke a boy!” Nuffink cried excitedly.

Zephyr’s eyes went wide.  “No I didn’t!”

“His privates!”

_ “Nuffink!” _

“ _ And _ nose!”

Zephyr smacked her face with her hand and sighed.  “He was mean to Nuffink!”

Astrid and Hiccup shared a wide-eyed look.  “How old was this boy, exactly?” Astrid asked carefully.

“Eighteen!”

“No, Nuff, he wasn’t that old.  I don’t know! Maybe twelve?” Zephyr blushed bright red.

Astrid and Hiccup’s jaws dropped as they looked at her.  “Wait, so... Was he bigger than you?” Hiccup asked quickly.  Suddenly, he was hit in the shoulder by an onion that was thrown from his wife’s direction.  He winced but otherwise ignored the attack.

“Well, yeah,” Zephyr said under her breath.

“His was  _ huge!” _

“His  _ what?!” _ Astrid asked, appalled.

“His body,” Zephyr sighed.  “Nuffink, try ‘he was huge’ next time.”

“Wha...?  Ohhhh...” Nuffink said, staring off into space as if having an epiphany.

“Okay, but... How huge?”  Hiccup asked. He was hit in the head, this time by a carrot.  “Astrid!”

“I don’t know, like...  This tall?” Zephyr said, attempting to show with her hand how tall Lasse was.  She found herself stretching on her tiptoes and still not quite reaching his height above her.

Astrid looked like she was about to throw a potato at Hiccup this time, but froze, seeing Zephyr’s example.  “Wait, really?”

Zephyr nodded, embarrassment written all over her face.

“And you really broke his nose?  And his.... You know?” Astrid clarified.

She nodded again.

Hiccup sniffed, wiping a tear from his eye.  “Oh my Thor, I’m so proud.”

Astrid placed a hand on her hip, throwing the potato up and catching it a few times in her other hand and nodding pridefully.  “That’s my girl!”

Zephyr and Nuffink shared a look before shrugging and bursting out in laughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Goodness gracious it feels good to write again! I'll have another chapter here shortly with more Zephyr/Nuffink bonding, so see you soon!


End file.
